Bacteria are so essential to mammalian digestion that without them, some gut cells break down their own components to obtain energy.
Scott Bultman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his colleagues studied the impact of gut bacteria on the metabolism of mice. They found that in mice lacking any bacteria, colon cells are energy deprived and undergo autophagy, or 'self-eating'. Putting bacteria that produce butyrate — colon cells' main energy source — into the guts of these mice returned the cells' metabolism to normal.
A decrease in butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut, perhaps caused by dietary changes, could compromise colonic function, the authors say. This might contribute to higher rates of inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.
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Starved cells turn on themselves. Nature 473, 256 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/473256b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/473256b
