Marie Sklodowska Curie actions (microbiota mediating vagal communication in obesity, miVaO). MSCA-IF actions of the EU Horizon 2020 program. Grant agreement ID: 797297; 2019-2020. Principal Investigator: Dr. Marina Romaní-Pérez; Coordinator: Prof. Yolanda Sanz.
miVaO investigates how gut microbiota modulates gut vagal innervations and the subsequent impact on energy homeostasis in obesity models.
Objectives
- Examine the role of intestinal bacteria in the modulation of the gut-brain axis to regulate appetite and energy homeostasis and, thereby, mitigate obesity
- Determine whether the effects of selected intestinal bacteria on the gut-brain axis are mediated through vagal afferent and/or enteroendocrine pathways
Strategy
We combine different study models and advanced analytical approaches, including:
- Murine models of diet-induced obesity
- Murine models of vagal afferent ablation using genetic tools
- In vitro models of enteroendocrine cells and vagal sensory neurons
- Omics techniques (metagenomics and metabolomics) and neuroendocrine readouts to identify microbial, metabolic, endocrine and neural signals in the gut that mediate gut-to-brain nutrient sensing to control the appetite circuit and energy homeostasis in obesity
Impact
- Improved understanding of the microbiome role in obesity and of the underlying mechanisms to guide new strategies to combat this disorder
- Microbiome-based strategies to ameliorate and prevent obesity based on new intestinal bacteria capable of enhancing gut-to-brain nutrient sensing to restore the impaired appetite circuit and energy homeostasis in obesity