Precision editing of the gut microbiota ameliorates colitis

Title	Precision editing of the gut microbiota ameliorates colitis
Authors	Wenhan Zhu, Maria G. Winter, Mariana X. Byndloss, Luisella Spiga, Breck A. Duerkop, Elizabeth R. Hughes, Lisa Büttner, Everton de Lima Romão, Cassie L. Behrendt, Christopher A. Lopez, Luis Sifuentes-Dominguez, Kayci Huff-Hardy, R. Paul Wilson, Caroline C. Gillis, Çagla Tükel, Andrew Y. Koh, Ezra Burstein, Lora V. Hooper, Andreas J. Bäumler, Sebastian E. Winter
Magazine	Nature
Date	01/03/2018
DOI	10.1038/nature25172
Introduction	Inflammatory conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract are frequently linked to an imbalance in gut microbial communities, known as dysbiosis. This imbalance often involves an increase in facultative anaerobic bacteria, particularly from the Enterobacteriaceae family. This study demonstrates that the dysbiotic proliferation of Enterobacteriaceae during gut inflammation can be averted through tungstate administration. Tungstate selectively targets and inhibits specific molybdenum-cofactor-dependent microbial respiratory pathways that become active during inflammatory episodes. Importantly, tungstate application resulted in negligible alterations to the microbiota composition under normal, healthy conditions. Significantly, this tungstate-mediated modification of the microbiota diminished the intensity of intestinal inflammation in mouse models of colitis. These findings indicate that precise adjustments to the microbiota composition using tungstate therapy can alleviate the detrimental effects of dysbiosis within the inflamed gut.
Quote	Wenhan Zhu, Maria G. Winter and Mariana X. Byndloss et al. Precision editing of the gut microbiota ameliorates colitis. Nature. 2018. Vol. 553(7687):208-211. DOI: 10.1038/nature25172
Element	Tungsten (W) , Molybdenum (Mo)
Topics	Biomedical Materials , Drug Delivery Systems
Industry	Pharmaceutical Industry , Chemical & Pharmacy , Research & Laboratory