Cell Host & Microbe

Microbial metabolism of food allergens determines the severity of IgE-mediated anaphylaxis Sánchez-Martínez and Rondeau et al. reveal that human oral microbes degrade peanut allergens, thereby reducing IgE recognition, systemic availability, mast cell activation, and anaphylaxis. This study...

Microbiota impact peanut allergy

Saliva & jejunum harbor peanut-degrading bacteria(Rothia) that metabolize immunodominant PN allergens. Mice colonized w/Rothia show ⬇️anaphylaxis & allergic patients w/better PN tolerance have ⬆️abundance of these bacteria
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graphical abstract

"Microbial metabolism of food allergens determines the severity of IgE-mediated anaphylaxis" spkl.io/63326Aa7Ln

Alberto Caminero & colleagues
@cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social

Gut microbiota immaturity with DL-endopeptidase deficiency links antibiotic use to preterm late-onset sepsis Shen et al. analyzed multi-national cohorts and identified universal preterm gut dynamics, where delayed maturation mediates antibiotic-induced late-onset sepsis susceptibility. Mechanistically, Enter...

Preterm microbiota & sepsis:
Delayed microbiome maturation in preterm infants mediates Abx-induced late-onset sepsis susceptibility. DL-endopeptidase-producing bacteria prevent murine sepsis via NOD2-immune tolerance & probiotic enhances NOD2 in infants
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Strain-level genetic heterogeneity and colonization dynamics drive microbiome therapeutic efficacy Chen et al. develop the ucgMLST framework to demonstrate that strain-level ecological dynamics, rather than species taxonomy, drive FMT efficacy across diverse disease contexts. Uncovering conserved c...

Determinants of FMT success
· cgMLST enables high-resolution strain tracking
· Intra-species dynamics, not species, drive FMT clinical efficacy across diseases
· Conserved ecological strategies govern colonization
· HSIM score predicts therapeutic outcomes
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HMGB1 functions as a critical mediator of host defense at the gut mucosal barrier Trillions of adhesion-capable bacteria reside in the gut, yet they rarely attach to healthy host tissue. Here, Overstreet et al. reveal that HMGB1 in colonic mucus directly targets bacterial adhesins ...

#WeekendRead! #MisterySolved! Overstreet Messer &co show @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social that HMGB1 in the gut mucus broadly targets a bacterial virulence factor preventing bacterial mucus invasion & tissue adhesion! #IBD is associated with low HMGB1!

A global survey of taxa-metabolic associations across mouse microbiome communities Yilmaz et al. provide a global atlas of murine microbiota and their species variants across many vivaria and wild colonies. By integrating strain-resolved metagenomics, metabolomics, and structural an...

Weekend read:
Global survey of mouse microbiomes—a path to strengthening collaborative science

Searchable resource of microbiome composition variability across numerous murine vivaria & wild mouse colonies w/ insights on taxa-metabolic associations.
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Bacterial entrapment of a fungal carbon repressor prevents plant colonization Xu et al. demonstrate that diverse bacteria trap the carbon repressor CreA in the nucleus, thereby suppressing pathogenesis-related gene expression. This reveals a conserved bacterial strategy that ex...

Bacterial entrapment protects plants from fungi

Diverse bacteria trap fungal carbon repressor CreA in nucleus, suppressing pathogenesis-related gene expression. Consortium of CreA-targeting bacteria confers broad-spectrum resistance in field trials
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Commensal enteric virome regulates intestinal carbohydrate digestion and absorption Lin et al. show that the enteric virome, dominated by bacteriophages, can autonomously activate host immune signaling to modulate intestinal metabolic responses. Their findings identify the enteric vi...

Virome regulates nutrient sensing

Enteric virome, dominated by bacteriophages, can autonomously activate host immune signaling to modulate intestinal metabolic responses and regulate carbohydrate digestion & absorption
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Over 60% of gut species remain uncultured and inaccessible to experimental manipulation

A large meta-analysis highlights the importance of previously unknown and uncultured gut bacteria in maintaining human health

@cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social 

https://tinyurl.com/2nwkzddd

Intratumoral bacterium Enterocloster bolteae promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by directly binding tumor cells Ren et al. demonstrate that Enterocloster bolteae translocates to liver tumors, where its PbpT protein subverts the tumor suppressor DSG1 to activate oncogenic MAPK signaling, promoting HCC progressio...

Intratumoral E. bolteae promotes HCC

Enterocloster bolteae translocates to liver tumors, where its PbpT protein subverts tumor suppressor DSG1 to activate oncogenic MAPK signaling, promoting HCC progression. Abs targeting PbpT suppress tumors in mice
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An image-based transcriptomics atlas reveals the regional and microbiota-dependent molecular, cellular, and spatial structure of the murine gut The gut is composed of a remarkable diversity of cells that, through diverse small-molecule receptors, sense a complex mix of diet-, self-, and microbial-derived molecules. Xu et al. leverage image-ba...

Spatial atlas of murine gut

Image-based transcriptomics inform cell-type expression & spatial organization of receptors sensing diet-, self- & microbial-derived molecules in murine gut. Work uncovers microbiota-dependent modulation of gut structure
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The enteric virome, dominated by bacteriophages, can autonomously activate host immune signaling to modulate intestinal metabolic responses @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social
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The microbial metabolite imidazole propionate modulates hypothalamic activity and stress-induced behaviors Agirman et al. find that imidazole propionate, a microbiome-derived metabolite, reaches the brain, dampens hypothalamic activity, and promotes stress-related behaviors. Human data show that higher ImP...

Weekend read!

How does your gut microbiota impact stress?
Gut bacteria-produced imidazole propionate can enter the bloodstream & modulate brain activity and stress-related behaviors.
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Single-cell profiling of the subgingival bacteria reveals transcriptional heterogeneity and niche-specific programs Subgingival microbial communities drive periodontitis, yet their single-cell-specific functions remain poorly defined. Using an optimized mscRNA-seq workflow, Ding et al. map a single-cell transcripti...

Profiling subgingival bacteria

Single-cell transcriptional atlas of subgingival bacteria reveals hallmarks of health vs periodontitis. Periodontitis yields loss of health-assoc subpopulations & species-specific amino acid-related transcriptional programs
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Meta-analysis of the uncultured gut microbiome across 11,115 global metagenomes reveals a candidate signature of health Silva et al. perform a global analysis of over 11,000 gut microbiomes and reveal that uncultured bacteria are key markers of gut health. The uncultured genus CAG-170 is strongly linked to low gut dysb...

Microbiome signature of health

Global analysis of 11,000 gut microbiomes reveals uncultured bacteria are markers of gut health. Uncultured genus CAG-170 linked to low gut dysbiosis & vitamin B12 production & plays key ecological roles in the healthy gut
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Gut DNA virome enterotype dictates inflammation heterogeneity through tuning the phage-bacteria-sphingosine-intestine axis in Crohn's disease Wen et al. identify two gut mucosal virome enterotypes that influence intestinal inflammation susceptibility. They reveal that a bacteriophage alters sphingosine production in B. thetaiotaomicron and ...

Virome enterotype dictates inflammation

Gut mucosal virome enterotypes influence intestinal inflammation w/Entero-2 predominant in Crohn’s disease & proinflammatory in mice. E2 enriched in phage that ↑B. theta sphingosine production & alters inflammation
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Early registration discount deadline March 13.
Register for the Cell Press Symposia #CSMicrobiome2026 (10–12 May 2026, Bruges).
Join leading experts exploring host–microbiome interactions and therapeutic innovation. @cellpressevents.bsky.social
http://dlvr.it/TQzzqw

Seeing the forest: Microbiome resilience in mature trees In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Hussain et al. demonstrate surprising microbiome resilience in oak trees under abiotic and biotic stress. In contrast to work on herbaceous plants or saplings, it...

Seeing the forest: Microbiome resilience in mature trees

Preview of work on microbiome resilience in oak trees under abiotic & biotic stress. In contrast to work on saplings, mature oak trees growing in situ experienced little microbiome change under stress
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Microbial communities in semi-mature oak trees are resilient to drought, nutrient limitation, and pathogen challenge Hussain et al. show that microbial communities associated with semi-mature oak trees are surprisingly resilient to rain exclusion, ring-barking, and early acute oak decline symptom development. Despit...

Oak tree microbes are steadfast

Microbial communities of semi-mature oak trees are resilient to drought, ring-barking & early acute oak decline. Despite stress, oak microbiota remains stable, highlighting potential role in forest ecosystem stability
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Enterococcus faecalis-derived lactic acid suppresses macrophage activation to facilitate persistent and polymicrobial wound infections da Silva et al. show that Enterococcus faecalis-derived lactic acid suppresses macrophage NF-κB activation via MCT-1 and GPR81 signaling. This lactic-acid-driven immunosuppression promotes bacterial p...

E. faecalis lactic acid suppresses macrophages

Enterococcus faecalis-derived lactic acid suppresses macrophage NF-κB activation via MCT-1 & GPR81. This lactic-acid-driven immunosuppression promotes bacterial persistence & polymicrobial infection
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HMGB1 functions as a critical mediator of host defense at the gut mucosal barrier Trillions of adhesion-capable bacteria reside in the gut, yet they rarely attach to healthy host tissue. Here, Overstreet et al. reveal that HMGB1 in colonic mucus directly targets bacterial adhesins ...

Featured Article: HMGB1 guards gut mucosal barrier

HMGB1 in colonic mucus directly targets bacterial adhesins to protect the gut epithelium against commensal bacteria. Ulcerative colitis is associated with HGMB1 failure & adhesion of target bacteria
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How a coral holobiont stays in sync in nature In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Weiler et al. reveal how a coral, its algal symbiont, and associated microbes coordinate gene activity across day-night cycles in their natural environment. The s...

How a coral holobiont stays in sync in nature

Preview of work revealing that a coral, its algal symbiont & associated microbes coordinate gene activity across day-night cycles, establishing a baseline of how coral holobionts behave in the wild
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Temporal transcriptional rhythms govern coral-symbiont function and microbiome dynamics Weiler et al. track changes in gene expression and microbiome composition of a reef-building coral and its algal symbionts through diel cycles. Dawn is shown to be a critical time point for host molec...

Temporal rhythms govern coral-symbiont relationship

Changes in gene expression & microbiome of reef-building coral & algal symbionts through diel cycles. Dawn is time for host molecular activation; microbes shift metabolic contributions between day/night
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What a superb story from @jamesemcdonald.bsky.social and team in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social👏

144 Quercus petraea trees subjected to drought, nutrient stress m, and biotic treatments (bacterial pathogens and beetle larvae) to simulate acute oak decline➡️ microbial communities over 2 years🌳

Protist predators engineer bacterial metabolic cooperation In the current issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Liu et al. establish a scalable framework and find that protist predation drives bacterial metabolic cooperation. This study offers insights for investigat...

Protist predators engineer bacterial metabolic cooperation

Preview of work that develops scalable framework to find that soil protist predation drives bacterial metabolic cooperation, offering insights for investigating cross-kingdom interactions in other ecosystems
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Predation by soil protists shifts bacterial metabolism from competitive to cooperative interactions Chen et al. demonstrate that soil protist predation shifts bacterial metabolic interactions from competitive to cooperative. Integrating large-scale surveys, metabolic modeling, and control experiment...

Featured Article: Protists shift bacterial interactions

Soil protist predation shifts bacterial metabolic interactions from competitive to cooperative. Protist-driven microbial cross-feeding enhances plant-beneficial functions
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A modular alliance: Probiotics and macrophages converge on glioblastoma Glioblastoma’s antigenic heterogeneity and immunosuppressive microenvironment limit therapeutic efficacy. In this issue, Zhang et al. present a multimodal platform where engineered probiotics “paint” ...

A modular alliance: Probiotics & macrophages converge on glioblastoma

Preview of work presenting multimodal platform where engineered probiotics “paint” diverse tumor cells w/ common tag, enabling universal CAR macrophages to attack
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Engineered probiotics recruit CAR macrophages and establish immune memory to eradicate heterogeneous glioblastoma in mice Zhang et al. report a synthetic host-microbe immune circuit in which probiotics locally produce bispecific engagers to recruit and instruct in situ-edited CAR macrophages. Macrophage-microbe crosstalk...

Featured Article: Probiotics eradicate glioblastoma

E. coli Nissle produces bispecific engagers to recruit & instruct in situ-edited CAR macrophages. Microbe-guided CAR macrophages overcome glioblastoma antigenic heterogeneity & establish antitumor memory
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graphical abstract

Root microbes could help oak trees adapt to drought. spkl.io/63324AtD3i

@jamesemcdonald.bsky.social & colleagues
@forestresearchuk.bsky.social
@cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social

Outsmarting the wicked smart: Using chemistry to overcome bacterial anti-viral systems Bacteriophage therapy has regained popularity in treating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. However, bacteria encode clever ways to evade lytic cell death inflicted by phages. In this issue, ...

Outsmarting the wicked smart: Using chemistry to overcome bacterial anti-viral systems

Preview of new paper reporting a small molecule that inhibits type II Thoeris anti-phage systems from pathogens and re-sensitizes bacteria to phage-induced cell lysis.
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