Microbiome-host-immune crosstalk
During the last century, mankind launched a war against microbes and medicine scored big with the discovery of antimicrobials. These treatments saved and continue saving millions of lives every year. However, at the time we developed these armed forces we did not have the understanding how important the microbiome is to our health, and how these new weapons harm our own lines of defense. With the trillions of microbes that call us home, we form a strong coalition that few enemies dare to fight. However, given successes of modern medicine, we forgot to care for our most intimate friends.
Understanding complex microbial ecosystems such as the human gut microbiome requires information about both microbial species and the metabolites they produce. These metabolites are exchanged via a large network of cross-feeding interactions. While technological advances make it possible to gain information about these networks, how the microbial communicome affects host physiology adds yet another layer of complexity. With the renaissance of microbiome work due to technological advances, we started to scratch the tip of the iceberg to unlock some secrets that we can leverage to support health and wellbeing.
In this special issue in Genes & Immunity, we have attempted to provide a snapshot of current research activities aiming to gain a better understanding of the co-evolved, bi-directional crosstalk between the microbiome and the host immune system. Mining the microbiome - a treasure trove waiting to be unlocked or to be more pragmatic - from symbiosis to therapy.
