Lipopolysaccharide structures of Gram-negative populations in the gut microbiota and effects on host interactions

Flaviana Di Lorenzo; Cristina De Castro; Alba Silipo; Antonio Molinaro

doi:10.1093/femsre/fuz002

Lipopolysaccharide structures of Gram-negative populations in the gut microbiota and effects on host interactions

FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2019 May 1;43(3):257-272. doi: 10.1093/femsre/fuz002.

Authors

Flaviana Di Lorenzo^{1

2}, Cristina De Castro^{2

3}, Alba Silipo^{1

2}, Antonio Molinaro^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Cinthia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy.
² Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, via Cinthia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy.
³ Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy.

PMID: 30649292
DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuz002

Abstract

The human gastrointestinal tract harbors a heterogeneous and complex microbial community, which plays a key role in human health. The gut microbiota controls the development of the immune system by setting systemic threshold for immune activation. Glycoconjugates, such as lipopolysaccharides, from gut bacteria have been shown to be able to elicit both systemic proinflammatory and immunomodulatory responses. This phenomenon is particularly intriguing considering that the immune system is charged with the task to distinguish the beneficial microbes from the pathogens, even if the commensal bacteria have molecular patterns resembling those of the pathogenic counterparts. Therefore, the importance of the chemical structure of these macromolecules in fine tuning this delicate equilibrium is beyond question. This review offers an overview of the current understanding of chemical peculiarities of the lipopolysaccharides isolated from the gut microbiota, and their relationships to their biological activity in terms of immune system maturation and development.

Keywords: TLR4/MD-2; gut immunity; gut microbiota; innate immunity; lipopolysaccharide; structural characterization.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Gastrointestinal Microbiome*
Gram-Negative Bacteria / chemistry*
Host-Pathogen Interactions*
Humans
Immune System / immunology
Immune System / microbiology*
Lipopolysaccharides / chemistry*

Substances

Lipopolysaccharides