腸道微生物與宿主之間形成諸如:共生、致病或互惠等複雜關係。本文在秀麗隱杆線蟲腸道共生細菌Providencia中鑑定了酪胺生物合成所需的基因,該基因產物為神經調節物質酪胺(tyramine, TA),酪胺緊接著會被宿主酪胺β-羥化酶(tyramine β-hydroxylase, tbh-1)轉化為章魚胺(Octopamine,OA),從而繞過了宿主酪胺生物合成的需求並操縱宿主的嗅覺器官。研究人員發現OA靶向ASH傷害性神經元OCTR-1 octopamine受體 ,從而調節宿主厭惡性嗅覺反應。本文以一個獨特的視角,闡述了一個很魔幻的像殭屍螞蟻(也可能像生化危機,釜山行等電影裡的喪屍)一樣的驅動策略,這種腸道菌群調控宿主行為的研究對於促進寄宿主之間的共生問題研究提供了新的策略。
Fig 1. Modulation of octanol avoidance by Providencia requires the OCTR-1 octopamine receptor in the ASH sensory neurons. 註:辛醇有強烈的刺激性氣味,本文以此為刺激源。Fig 2. Two AADCs in Providencia act redundantly to modulate octanol avoidance. a, Cartoons depicting the tyrDC locus in Lactobacillales, the adcA locus in Morganella (top), and corresponding loci including engineered muations in JUb39 (bottom). b, Presence of tyrDC, adcA, E.-coli-type tyrP and Morganella-type tyt-1 at the family and genus level among Enterobacterales.Fig 3. Biosynthesis of tyramine (TA) and octopamine (OA) in C. elegans. 註:本文發現Providencia中存在的酪胺合成基因簇合成酪胺後,會在宿主體內作用下形成OA,從而規避宿主酪胺生合系統並調控宿主的規避行為(至於該共生菌如何規避宿主酪胺途徑並劫持tbh-1,需要各位在原文中尋找答案)。