Gut bacteria help control healthy muscle contraction in the colon

Andrew Macpherson, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, and University Clinic of Visceral Surgery and Medicine of the University Hospital, Inselspital. Courtesy of Andrew Macpherson - Micro-organisms in the gut support healthy digestion by helping nerve cells within the intestine to regulate the contraction and relaxation of the muscle wall of the colon, according to new research from the Francis Crick Institute and Bern University. The study which is regulated by nerve cells and is needed to push food along, is influenced by the bacteria resident in our gut. When such microbes are present, a specific gene called Ahr is activated in intestinal nerves, resulting in healthy contraction and relaxation of the colon (peristalsis). This relationship can be disrupted in cases of intestinal disorders, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). "There is a clear link between the presence of microbes in the colon and the speed at which food moves through the system. If this relationship goes off-kilter it could cause considerable harm," says Yuuki Obata, lead author and postdoc in the Development and Homeostasis of the Nervous System Laboratory at the Crick.