Award details

The role of mucus in the cross-talk between gut bacteria and the host

Reference	BBS/E/F/00044452
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Nathalie Juge
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Quadram Institute Bioscience
Department	Quadram Institute Bioscience Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	3,274,103
Status	Current
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2010
End date	31/03/2018
Duration	95 months

Abstract

Our core-research focuses on the study of the molecular mechanisms mediating the interaction between gut bacteria and the mucus layer. We are especially interested in the role played by bacterial adhesins (e.g. mucus binding proteins) and enzymes (e.g. carbohydrate–active enzymes, CAZymes) from major gut symbionts. Our project aims to define the nature and specificity of the interaction and characterize bacterial effectors and mucus receptors (e.g. mucin glycans) at the molecular and structural level. The experimental approaches include functional and comparative genomics, transciptomics, metabolomics, complemented by detailed molecular enzymology and structural studies of bacterial adhesins and CAZymes. Another aspect of our core-research is to define what constitutes a functional mucus layer and how it influences/is influenced by the host mucosal immune system and the microbiota. Here we rely on the use of specific mouse models (with alterations in immune and epithelium cells, microbiota composition) and the development of ex vivo intestinal cell models to assess the impact of bacteria interaction to mucus on the host, using histoimmunochemistry, confocal microscopy, gene expression studies and complemented by glycomics approach to analyse changes in mucin structure and function.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Diet and Health, Microbiology, Structural Biology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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