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Project
Insights into the lifestyle and adaptation factors of Dolosigranlum pigrum as probiotic for the upper respiratory tract.
The upper respiratory tract (URT) is a key habitat of the human microbiome, but it is currently underexplored compared to other body sites, especially at the functional level. URT diseases such as chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) form leading causes for antibiotic prescription, while the functional role of bacteria in the disease pathology is still not clear. As such, CRS is a microbial disease needing new insights in functional biology and microbial ecology to design novel therapeutic strategies. Based on microbiome sequencing of the URT, the underexplored lactic acid bacterium Dolosigranulum pigrum is associated with URT health, highlighting its potential as URT probiotic. Nevertheless, fundamental and molecular research is lacking on its beneficial mechanisms of action, and on its ecological and adaptation mechanisms in the human nasal cavity. This project will therefore focus on exploring the biology and metabolic properties of D. pigrum strains isolated from healthy URT samples, using comparative genomics, phenotypic screening assays and fluorescent microscopy techniques. In addition, the barrier-enhancing and anti-inflammatory properties of D. pigrum isolates will be evaluated in complex in vitro cell culture systems. In parallel, molecular biology tools will be used for further molecular characterization of the isolated strains' mechanisms of action. Finally, the most promising D. pigrum strains will be evaluated in murine models relevant for CRS.
Date:1 Oct 2021 → Today
Keywords:MICROBIOME
Disciplines:Microbiomes