Recent advances in host-focused molecular tools for investigating host-gut microbiome interactions

Siyao Wang; Xu Gong; Fei Xiao; Yun Yang

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2024.1335036

Recent advances in host-focused molecular tools for investigating host-gut microbiome interactions

Front Microbiol. 2024 Mar 28:15:1335036. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1335036. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Siyao Wang^#^{1

2}, Xu Gong^#^{1

2}, Fei Xiao³, Yun Yang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Centre for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, China.
² Key Laboratory of Big Data-Based Precision Medicine, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Beihang University, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Thoracic Surgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Microbial communities in the human gut play a significant role in regulating host gene expression, influencing a variety of biological processes. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying host-microbe interactions, tools that can dissect signaling networks are required. In this review, we discuss recent advances in molecular tools used to study this interplay, with a focus on those that explore how the microbiome regulates host gene expression. These tools include CRISPR-based whole-body genetic tools for deciphering host-specific genes involved in the interaction process, Cre-loxP based tissue/cell-specific gene editing approaches, and in vitro models of host-derived organoids. Overall, the application of these molecular tools is revolutionizing our understanding of how host-microbiome interactions contribute to health and disease, paving the way for improved therapies and interventions that target microbial influences on the host.

Keywords: CRISPR; Cre-loxP; host-microbiome interactions; molecular tool; organoid 1.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding, 2023-NHLHCRF-LXYZ-02.