Descrizione del progetto
Il microbiota intestinale e il sistema immunitario interagiscono nell’obesità
L’apporto calorico elevato combinato con uno stile di vita sedentario ha portato l’obesità a raggiungere percentuali epidemiche. Le prove accumulate sottolineano l’effetto della nutrizione sulla composizione del microbiota intestinale, che a sua volta influisce sulla salute metabolica, oltre che sull’intestino. L’obiettivo del progetto MicroILCs, finanziato dall’UE, è quello di identificare in particolare i determinanti chiave dell’ecosistema intestinale per le risposte immunitarie delle cellule linfoidi innate (ILC, Innate Lymphoid Cells). L’identificazione di batteri intestinali umani con proprietà immunitarie di regolazione fornirà informazioni sul modo in cui il microbiota controlla le risposte immunitarie a diete altamente energetiche. Gli scienziati sperano di tradurre le conoscenze generate in strategie di modulazione del microbiota applicabili in ambito clinico per combattere i disturbi metabolici.
Obiettivo
Obesity reaches epidemic proportions and currently represents a significant public health challenge. Curbing the prevalence of obesity is one health policy priority, whose achievement requires more effective preventive measures. A high-caloric diet and sedentary lifestyle are key determinants of obesity. The diet shapes gut microbiota composition, which may partly explain why microbiota alterations are associated with an obese phenotype in humans. These microbial alternations have been proven to contribute to energy metabolism and fat storage. This evidence has represented an unprecedented shift in the way we envision obesity management. However, translating this knowledge into microbiota modulation strategies that can be applied in the clinical setting needs a better understanding of the active players within the gut ecosystem, as well as, of the mechanisms underlying their dialog with the host. Preclinical studies show that the microbiota shapes immune responses beyond the intestine with consequences for metabolic health. This proposal aims to decipher the regulatory role of indigenous intestinal bacteria on the recently discovered innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). To achieve this goal, we will use the collection of intestinal human bacteria created in the context of the EUproject MyNewGut by the host institution, first, to identify those with ILCs stimulatory properties and second, to perform mechanistic studies in wild-type and mutant murine models of diet-induced obesity coupled to in vitro experiments with primary cell cultures. Overall, the objective of the MicroILCs proposal is to move forward in the understanding of the mechanisms whereby the gut microbiota controls the immune response to high-energy diets and affects the metabolic phenotype.
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Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinatore
28006 Madrid
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