Jiabao Liu, Ainaz Malekoltojari, Anjana Asokakumar, Vimanda Chow, Linhao Li, Hao Li, Marina Grimaldi, Nathanlown Dang, Jhenielle Campbell, Holly Barrett, Jianxian Sun, William Navarre, Derek Wilson, Hongbing Wang, Sridhar Mani, Patrick Balaguer, Sayeepriyadarshini Anakk, Hui Peng, Henry M Krause
Numerous studies have demonstrated the correlation between human gut bacteria and host physiology, mediated primarily via nuclear receptors (NRs). Despite this body of work, the systematic identification and characterization of microbe-derived ligands that regulate NRs remain a considerable challenge. In this study, we discover a series of diindole molecules produced from commensal bacteria metabolites that act as specific agonists for the orphan constitutive androstane receptor (CAR). Using various biophysical analyses we show that their nanomolar affinities are comparable to those of synthetic CAR agonists, and that they can activate both rodent and human CAR orthologues, which established synthetic agonists cannot...
March 22, 2024: Nature Communications