Enterobactin carries iron into C. elegans and mammalian intestinal cells by a mechanism independent of divalent metal transporter DMT1.

The diverse microbiota of the intestine is expected to benefit the host, yet the beneficial metabolites derived from the microbiota are still poorly understood. Enterobactin (Ent) is a well-known secreted iron-scavenging siderophore made by bacteria to fetch iron from the host or environment. Little was known about a positive role of Ent until a recent discovery in the nematode C.

Bacterial muropeptides promote OXPHOS and suppress mitochondrial stress in mammals.

Mitochondrial dysfunction critically contributes to many major human diseases. The impact of specific gut microbial metabolites on mitochondrial functions of animals and the underlying mechanisms remain to be uncovered. Here, we report a profound role of bacterial peptidoglycan muropeptides in promoting mitochondrial functions in multiple mammalian models.

Bacterial peptidoglycan muropeptides benefit mitochondrial homeostasis and animal physiology by acting as ATP synthase agonists.

The symbiotic relationship between commensal microbes and host animals predicts unidentified beneficial impacts of individual bacterial metabolites on animal physiology. Peptidoglycan fragments (muropeptides) from the bacterial cell wall are known for their roles in pathogenicity and for inducing host immune responses. However, the potential beneficial usage of muropeptides from commensal bacteria by the host needs exploration.

Fatty acids impact sarcomere integrity through myristoylation and ER homeostasis.

Decreased ability to maintain tissue integrity is critically involved in aging and degenerative diseases. Fatty acid (FA) metabolism has a profound impact on animal development and tissue maintenance, but our understanding of the underlying mechanisms is limited. We investigated whether and how FA abundance affects muscle integrity using Caenorhabditis elegans.

Microbial Siderophore Enterobactin Promotes Mitochondrial Iron Uptake and Development of the Host via Interaction with ATP Synthase.

Elucidating the benefits of individual microbiota-derived molecules in host animals is important for understanding the symbiosis between humans and their microbiota. The bacteria-secreted enterobactin (Ent) is an iron scavenging siderophore with presumed negative effects on hosts. However, the high prevalence of Ent-producing commensal bacteria in the human gut raises the intriguing question regarding a potential host mechanism to beneficially use Ent.

Fatty Acids Regulate Germline Sex Determination through ACS-4-Dependent Myristoylation.

Fat metabolism has been linked to fertility and reproductive adaptation in animals and humans, and environmental sex determination potentially plays a role in the process. To investigate the impact of fatty acids (FA) on sex determination and reproductive development, we examined and observed an impact of FA synthesis and mobilization by lipolysis in somatic tissues on oocyte fate in Caenorhabditis elegans. The subsequent genetic analysis identified ACS-4, an acyl-CoA synthetase and its FA-CoA product, as key germline factors that mediate the role of FA in promoting oocyte fate through protein myristoylation.

A Lipid-TORC1 Pathway Promotes Neuronal Development and Foraging Behavior under Both Fed and Fasted Conditions in C. elegans.

Food deprivation suppresses animal growth and development but spares the systems essential for foraging. The mechanisms underlying this selective development, and potential roles of lipids in it, are unclear. When C.