The biosynthetic pathway that produces the secondary bile acids DCA and LCA in human gut microbes has been fully characterized, engineered into another bacterial host, and used to confer DCA production in germ-free mice-an important proof-of-principle for the engineering of gut microbial pathways.
The gut microbiota synthesize hundreds of molecules, many of which influence host physiology. Among the most abundant metabolites are the secondary bile acids deoxycholic acid (DCA) and lithocholic acid (LCA), which accumulate at concentrations of around 500 mu M and are known to block the growth ofClostridium difficile(1), promote hepatocellular carcinoma(2)and modulate host metabolism via the G-protein-coupled receptor TGR5 (ref.(3)). More broadly, DCA, LCA and their derivatives are major components of the recirculating pool of bile acids(4)
