Accumulating evidence indicates that the gut microbiota (GM) actively participates in a broad range of physiological functions, including regulation of the immune system. Studies have notably shown that the GM can modulate the host’s immune responses along the gut–brain, gut–lung and gut–liver axes via secreted bacterial-derived metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). In a new study, researchers provide further insights into the role of GM in lung immunity in chicken. Comparing conventional (CV) and germ-free (GF) chickens, and combining transcriptomic, metabolomic and microbiome analyses, the researchers showed that the absence of GM affected several genes governing immunity in the gut, lungs and spleen, and impacted several pathways related to SCFA metabolism. Using an avian influenza virus H7N1 challenge, the team also demonstrated that the absence of GM influenced immunoregulatory responses to infection in GF chicken compared to CV animals, confirming the critical role of the gut–lung axis in birds’ response to avian influenza virus infections.

Original reference: Saint-Martin, V. et al. Commun. Biol. 7, 1185 (2024)

越来越多的证据表明，肠道微生物群 （GM） 积极参与广泛的生理功能，包括免疫系统的调节。研究显着表明，GM 可以通过分泌的细菌衍生代谢物（如短链脂肪酸 （SCFA））调节宿主沿肠-脑、肠-肺和肠-肝轴的免疫反应。在一项新的研究中，研究人员进一步了解了 GM 在鸡肺免疫中的作用。通过比较传统 （CV） 和无菌 （GF） 鸡，并结合转录组学、代谢组学和微生物组分析，研究人员表明，转基因的缺乏影响了控制肠道、肺和脾脏免疫力的几个基因，并影响了与 SCFA 代谢相关的几个途径。该团队还使用禽流感病毒 H7N1 攻击，证明与 CV 动物相比，基因改造的缺失影响了 GF 鸡对感染的免疫调节反应，证实了肠-肺轴在鸟类对禽流感病毒感染的反应中的关键作用。

原始参考资料：Saint-Martin， V. 等人。公社。生物。7， 1185 （2024）