Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026
06:23
Applying Advanced In Vitro Culturing Technology to Study the Human Gut Microbiota
Published on: February 15, 2019
Activity-guided substructure prioritization accelerates discovery of gut microbiota-derived immune-regulating
Haoduo Zhao1, Liang Chi1, Zhenfa Zhang1
1Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Nature Communications
|May 26, 2026
Summary
Researchers discovered new indole derivatives from gut microbes that activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), impacting host physiology. This work reveals novel microbiome-mediated reactions and their immune regulatory effects.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pharmacology
- Metabolomics
Background:
- Gut microbiota produce bioactive indole derivatives influencing host physiology.
- Indole derivatives often activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), suggesting structure-activity relationships (SAR).
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a mass spectrometry pipeline for elucidating SAR in metabolite data.
- To identify unknown gut microbiome-derived indole derivatives with AhR agonistic potential.
Main Methods:
- Developed a substructure-activity relationship mass spectrometry pipeline.
- Applied the pipeline to identify novel gut microbial metabolites.
- Validated AhR agonistic activities and immune effects in male mice.
Main Results:
- Identified 22 metabolites with activity-related substructures, including four previously uncharacterized compounds.
- Discovered novel sulfonated and methylthiolated indole derivatives.
- Confirmed AhR agonistic activities and immune regulatory effects of the discovered compounds.
Conclusions:
- Presents a framework for MS data mining using activity-guided substructure prioritization.
- Enables discovery of bioactive microbiota-derived molecules.
- Highlights distinct microbiome-mediated reactions and their physiological relevance.
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