September 15, 2022
RIKEN
Keio University
Kazusa DNA Research Institute
An international joint research group—including Yusen Li, Special Postdoctoral Researcher (at the time of research), Team Leader Kenya Honda (Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Keio University School of Medicine), and Visiting Senior Scientist Koji Atarashi (Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Keio University School of Medicine) from the Laboratory for Gut Homeostasis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, and Yusuke Kawashima, Unit Leader of the Department of Genome Promotion, Kazusa DNA Research Institute—has identified human gut bacteria that degrade trypsin, one of the digestive enzymes that breaks down proteins. The group also discovered that this degradation of trypsin contributes to protection against infection by pathogens such as bacteria and viruses.
These findings are expected to provide a new basis for drug discovery for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases caused by bacteria and viruses entering the body through the mouth, leading to the development of new pharmaceuticals.
In this study, the international joint research group conducted a comprehensive analysis of the interactions between gut bacteria and host proteins using proteomic and gnotobiotic analyses. The results revealed that Paraprevotella clara , a species of gut bacteria, promotes the degradation of trypsin, and that the degradation of intestinal trypsin leads to protection against bacterial and viral infections.
This research was published in the online edition of the British scientific journal Nature on September 7 (September 8, Japan Standard Time).
Please see below for the full press release.