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Lipopolysaccharide and the gut microbiota: considering structural variation
Author(s) -
Mohr Alex E.,
Crawford Meli'sa,
Jasbi Paniz,
Fessler Samantha,
Sweazea Karen L.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1002/1873-3468.14328
Subject(s) - lipopolysaccharide , biology , gastrointestinal tract , gut flora , virulence , inflammation , immunity , lipid a , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , host (biology) , immune system , homeostasis , ecology , biochemistry , gene
Systemic inflammation is associated with chronic disease and is purported to be a main pathogenic mechanism underlying metabolic conditions. Microbes harbored in the host gastrointestinal tract release signaling byproducts from their cell wall, such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which can act locally and, after crossing the gut barrier and entering circulation, also systemically. Defined as metabolic endotoxemia, elevated concentrations of LPS in circulation are associated with metabolic conditions and chronic disease. As such, measurement of LPS is highly prevalent in animal and human research investigating these states. Indeed, LPS can be a potent stimulant of host immunity, but this response depends on the microbial species’ origin, a parameter often overlooked in both preclinical and clinical investigations. Indeed, the lipid A portion of LPS is mutable and comprises the main virulence and endotoxic component, thus contributing to the structural and functional diversity among LPSs from microbial species. In this review, we discuss how such structural differences in LPS can induce differential immunological responses in the host.