Insights into microbial modulation of host peripheral lipid and glucose metabolism using mouse gut organoids

The gastrointestinal microbiota is involved in the development of various diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, by affecting nutrient acquisition, energy balance, and metabolic signaling of the host. However, the underlying mechanisms of these host-microbiota interactions remain unclear. The aim of this study was to characterize effects of the microbiota on the host epithelium using a novel gastrointestinal model based on mouse organoids. We have explored the transcriptional response of organoids upon exposure to short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and products generated by two conspicuous members of the gastrointestinal microbiota; Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. We observed that A. muciniphila metabolites affect a large variety of transcription factors and genes involved in cellular lipid metabolism and growth, supporting previous in vivo findings. F. prausnitzii products exerted only a weak effect on the host transcription profile. While, A. muciniphila, and its main metabolite propionate, both stimulate fasting-induced adipose factor/angiopoietin-like protein 4 (Fiaf/Angptl4) and Ppar? expression, important regulators of lipolysis and satiety. This work illustrates that specific members of the microbiota and their metabolites differentially modulate epithelial transcription in mouse organoid lines.