The main objective of the CorioFunc project is to study the impact of bacterial conversion of cholesterol-derived compounds on host lipid metabolism and the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by bacteria of the Coriobacteriaceae family. Recent work on experimental models has shown that the prevalence of 16S rDNA sequences assigned to the Coriobacteriaceae family is a function of host genotype and positively correlated with hepatic triglyceride and non-HDL plasma cholesterol levels. The metabolism of bile acids by intestinal microorganisms is considered to be an important factor influencing host lipid metabolism, although it remains little studied. Using microbiota transfer experiments in a mouse model, we have recently demonstrated the key role played by the intestinal microbiota in the development of liver pathologies (non-alcoholic fatty liver). However, the molecular mechanisms associated with this effect are still poorly described. What’s more, the metabolism of endogenous corticosteroids by intestinal bacteria also remains poorly understood. The combined expertise of the French and German teams involved in the CorioFunc project will enable us to characterize the ecological and patho-physiological importance of Coriobacteriaceae within the intestinal ecosystem and, more generally, on a systemic scale.
Partners: T. Clavel (TUM, Freising, Co-PI), S. Rohn (Institute of Food Chemistry, University Hamburg), P. G?rard (INRA-MICALIS)