Project description
Rebuilding gut health after antibiotics
The overuse of antibiotics disrupts the gut microbiota, particularly within the Bacillota phylum. This increases susceptibility to pathogens and contributes to obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. The EU-funded MicroDialogue project will evaluate the role of quorum sensing (QS), specifically autoinducer-2 (AI-2), in restoring gut microbiota balance after antibiotic-induced disturbances. This project will focus on a novel murine commensal, non-pneumoniae Klebsiella sp. ARO112, which can help resist harmful pathogens, promote butyrate-producing bacteria, and produce AI-2. It will also test AI-2/ARO112-based therapies in mice with complex microbiota affected by dysbiosis, as well as use CRISPR/Cas9 technology to track colonisation and measure immune responses and inflammation.
Objective
The overuse of antibiotics has led to a disruption in gut microbiota, particularly in the Bacillota phylum, increasing susceptibility to pathogens, obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders.
MicroDialogue aims to evaluate the capacity of Quorum Sensing (QS) interspecies communication, a bacterial communication mechanism mediated by Autoinducer-2 (AI-2), to restore gut microbiota balance after antibiotic-induced perturbations and improve health outcomes. MicroDialogue will focus on the novel murine commensal non-pneumoniae Klebsiella sp. ARO112, which can provide colonization resistance against pathobionts, promote butyrate-producing bacteria, and produce AI-2, making it a promising candidate for promoting microbiota recovery. We hypothesize that manipulating AI-2 signaling with ARO112 can facilitate the recovery of the microbiota from antibiotic-induced dysbiosis.
MicroDialuge’s main goal is to capitalize on the ability of ARO112, isolated by the host’s lab, to favor re-establishment of the Bacillota phylum while improving host immunity, via QS manipulation. To achieve this, we will manipulate the levels of AI-2 directly in the mouse gut using ARO112 WT and mutants already validated to assess the mechanistic effect of AI-2/ARO112 on axenic mice colonized with a defined microbiota. We will use metabolomics, and transcriptomics as part of a secondment at Jena University to reveal the molecular mechanisms involved in microbiota recovery. Additionally, we will test AI-2/ARO112-based therapies in mice colonized with a complex microbiota under antibiotic-induced dysbiosis. We will use CRISPR/Cas9 to modify ARO112 to track its colonization and flow cytometry to measure recovery of immune responses and inflammation.
This research will expand our understanding of microbial QS and its potential to combat microbiota imbalances, with significant social and economic potential for human health by offering new strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of antibiotic use.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine endocrinology diabetes
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs antibiotics
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition obesity
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-TALENTS-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1649-035 LISBOA
Portugal
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.