A collaborative synthetase

Several studies focusing on the microbiome–host interaction have unravelled the fundamental role of the microbiota in physiological and pathological conditions1. These have provided insights into the taxonomic structure of the microbiome in different states, allowing interesting associations between human health and specific microbial consortia. This has been fundamental to establish the role of the microbiome in human biology, but it has opened new questions around the molecular mechanisms underlying these associations. Recent investigations have uncovered the significant impact of the microbiome on the metabolite composition within the human body. Comparative studies between germ-free and colonized mice have revealed that the intestinal microbiome profoundly influences the metabolome, even at distant body sites including the kidney, liver and plasma, producing unique metabolic features2. These results clearly reinforce the concept that resident gut microorganisms have a role in modulating the biochemical status of the individual, both at the local and systemic level, and suggest the existence of yet-to-be-identified metabolic mutual crosstalk mechanisms between host metabolome and gut microbiota. A few examples of this mutual communication have been unravelled with the identification of microbial metabolites entering the human biochemical circuitry. One example involves trimethylamine (TMA), which is produced from dietary choline and carnitine by TMA-lyase-expressing gut bacteria and is subsequently oxidized to trimethylamine N-oxide by the liver flavine monoxygenases3. However, our understanding of the human–microorganism interactive scenario is still limited.

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