Coming up, we have the Verrucomicrobia, which contains members such as Akkermansia muciniphila. Muciniphila for mucin lover, this guy hangs out on the mucosa and is a mucin specialist. Above there, we have the most numerically dominant members of the gut microbiome, the Bacteroidales, specifically the genus Bacteroides.
And in addition to these antimicrobial properties, it also serves as a major source of nutrients for the bacteria. And so that mucin that's sloughing off is actually being digested and promoting-- the mucin is decorated with particular sugars that promote the metabolism of beneficial bacteria. So this is just really an incredible barrier.
But I think it also helps show you that there's an incredible milieu of bacteria that are functioning, and they're separated from the host by this mucin . One more picture from the same paper. I mentioned that the mucin can serve as a food source.
by this mucin . One more picture from the same paper. I mentioned that the mucin can serve as a food source. And so shown here on the left are mice that are fed a standard diet that includes polysaccharides and fiber.
Actually, this is a mouse model of the gut microbiome, but with a complex flora. The big green section is the mucin barrier that kind of serves us a no-man's land between bacteria and eukaryotes. In the blue is DAPI staining of the eukaryotic cells, their nuclei.
And in the top left, you see this huge mixture of bacteria, all different kinds mixed together. And you can see that the mucin is almost completely devoid of bacteria, even looking like a laminar structure. And you can see that one of the laminar pieces is sloughing off and starting to be digested by the bacteria.
And you can see that one of the laminar pieces is sloughing off and starting to be digested by the bacteria. So the host makes the mucin , and it serves as a barrier to protect the host from constantly interacting with microbial signals which could be harmful. I think I'll just say a little bit more about this mucin barrier because it's just really incredible.
And then on the right is mice that are fed a diet that's deficient in fiber. And you can see that the mucin barrier in the right is dissolving. The microbes, without their dietary fiber, are starting to eat away and penetrate further and further into the mucin .
So Iain, there's not one answer, unfortunately, but let me make this point. There's a very beneficial species called akkermansia muciniphila.
So the host makes the mucin , and it serves as a barrier to protect the host from constantly interacting with microbial signals which could be harmful. I think I'll just say a little bit more about this mucin barrier because it's just really incredible. It's not only a physical barrier by just being too dense to enable penetration.
It's not only a physical barrier by just being too dense to enable penetration. It is a chemical barrier in that antimicrobial proteins and other antimicrobial particles are secreted from the host into the mucin and serve as a chemical deterrent to microbial colonization.
So Iain, there's not one answer, unfortunately, but let me make this point. So its real name, its full name, akkermansia muciniphila, mucus lover.
And you can see that the mucin barrier in the right is dissolving. The microbes, without their dietary fiber, are starting to eat away and penetrate further and further into the mucin . So eat your fruits and vegetables, folks, for your gut microbiome.
These guys are one of the first model organisms for microbiology, easily cultured from the human gut. Coming up, we have the Verrucomicrobia, which contains members such as Akkermansia muciniphila. Muciniphila for mucin lover, this guy hangs out on the mucosa and is a mucin specialist.