Identify the mechanisms of intestinal microorganisms that can prevent and treat gastrointestinal diseases
Jan 07, 2025
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Professor Nam Ki-taek of Yonsei University Medical School of Life Sciences and Dr. Jeong Haeng-dong's research team announced on the 7th that microorganisms present in the stomach can control the proliferation ability of main cells that act as adult stem cells through the production of metabolites.
The gastric mucosa is a strongly acidic environment, and cells with various functions are stacked from the base to the top. The main cells present at the base of the gastric mucosa remain stationary without cell proliferation under homeostatic conditions (normal conditions). They also function as reserve stem cells in gastric tissue and play an important role in the regeneration process after mucosal damage.
Microorganisms are deeply related to our body's immune system and cell homeostasis, and recently, studies have shown that they are also linked to nerve development and brain function, emphasizing them as essential elements for normal human body function. Although the stomach is a strong acidic environment, it possesses a variety of symbiotic microorganisms. Interactions between epithelial cells and intestinal microorganisms of the main cells, which are present in the stomach and act as stem cells, are essential for maintaining homeostasis.
However, research on microorganisms is focused on organs with relatively more microorganisms, such as small and large intestine, so research on the stomach with relatively few microorganisms and a strong acidic environment is insufficient.
The research team conducted a dielectric analysis of sterile mice and regular mice with normal microorganisms to confirm the mechanism by which microorganisms control the main cell characteristics of the stomach.
As a result, it was confirmed that the longer the observation period, the greater the number of main cells in sterile mice compared to normal mice.
Additional experiments were conducted using immunostaining and nucleic acid analog labeling techniques to confirm the results of genome analysis in depth, and main cells acting as adult stem cells were proliferated by microorganisms in normal mice. In general, main cells do not proliferate under homeostatic conditions and are known to actively proliferate in case of cell damage to act as reserve stem cells.
In addition, the research team confirmed that about 200 types of microorganisms existed in the stomach of an acidic normal mouse model, and conducted dielectric analysis and metabolite analysis on the found microorganisms.
Analysis confirmed that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) derived from microbiota inhibit the proliferation of main cells in mice. In particular, among symbiotic microorganisms, Lactobacillus intestinalis has been found to be a microbial species capable of producing butyrate, a type of short-chain fatty acid.
Based on these results, the research team confirmed that Lactobacillus, which produces butyrate, can control main cell proliferation in mouse models in in vitro experiments and sterile mouse model transplantation experiments using newly established main cell-derived organoids.
Professor Nam Ki-taek "Identifying the mechanisms by which intestinal microorganisms regulate the characteristics of gastric main cells and providing important clues to understanding the mechanisms by which homeostasis is maintained above."We expect that the results of this study will contribute to the development of potential treatment strategies for gastric diseases."
The findings were published in the journal 『Developmental Cell』 (IF 10.7) published by Cell Press. The research was conducted with the support of the Korea Research Foundation's mid-sized researcher support project, the original technology development project, and the Sejong Science Fellowship, and also applied for patents based on research results.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
