Role of autoinducer 2 signalling in shaping spatio-temporal dynamics and host-microbe interactions of the gut microbiota

肠道微生物群代表了一个由一系列微生物-微生物和宿主-微生物相互作用形成的动态微生物群落。物种间交流在这种混合群落的发展中的作用正在变得明显，尽管我们对其体内机制的了解仍然有限。普遍的信号分子自动诱导因子2(AI-2)被认为是一种潜在的种间通讯信号，它调节许多细菌的细胞密度依赖的表型。然而，AI-2在肠道等复杂多物种群落的建立和形成中的作用还不是很清楚。这里，以大肠杆菌和鼠伤寒沙门氏菌为模式生物，研究AI-2信号在小鼠肠道定植、物种间群落形成和感染中的作用。此外，AI-2对塑造生物地理学和肠道微生物区系与宿主免疫系统之间的相互作用的影响将被讨论。这将揭示AI-2信号在肠道微生物群落中的生理相关性，并为逐步了解肠道微生物群落是如何形成的，以及它们内部的细菌如何相互作用以及与宿主相互作用奠定了基础。

Gut microbiome represents a dynamic microbial community that is shaped by a range of microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions. The role of interspecies communication in development of such mixed communities is becoming apparent, although our understanding of its mechanisms in vivo remains limited. The universal signalling molecule autoinducer 2 (AI-2) is known to regulate cell-density-dependent phenotypes of many bacteria and is thus considered a potential interspecies communication signal. However, the role of AI-2 in the establishment and shaping of complex multispecies communities such as that in the gut is not well understood.Here, using E. coli and S. Typhimurium as model organisms, the role of AI-2 signalling in murine gut colonization, interspecies communities formation and infection will be investigated. Additionally, the impact of AI-2 on shaping biogeography and interactions between gut microbiota and the host immune system will be addressed. This will shed light on physiological relevance of AI-2 signalling in gut microbial communities and lay foundation for step-by-step understanding of how microbial communities are formed in the gut, how bacteria within them interact with each other and with the host.