While the uniquely contributive role of probiotic bacteria in maintaining or improving the gut health and well-being of humans and other animals has been well documented by clinical and experimental studies, many of the molecular mechanisms involved in the host-microbe interactions that facilitate these beneficial effects still remain to be revealed and understood. Since persistence and survival in the digestive tract are two factors that frequently govern how long the health-related actions will last, the adhesion capacity of a probiotic is typically implicated in its suitability and usefulness. Accordingly, this suggests that the initial cell-to-cell contact between a probiotic and host represents an important early step toward the development of health benefits. On this point, surface proteins, including pili are key components on the outer surface of probiotic cells and whose actions include, e.g., interacting with host cell receptor sites, binding to substrates, and adhering to other bacteria. Ultimately, probiotic surface proteins can lead to numerous cascading effects such as the induction of host immune responses, promotion of host colonization and biofilm growth, and competitive exclusion of pathogens.
A clear understanding of the molecular mechanism(s) by which probiotics function and modulate host cells for various health benefits is still in its infancy. Nonetheless, surface adhesins binding to various intestinal substrates (e.g., mucus, mannose, collagen, and fibronectin), surface (S)-layer proteins, and multi-functional moonlighting proteins represent just a few examples of probiotic proteins that have been identified so far, though in most instances their precise mode of action has not been fully explored yet and thus still remains uncertain. This edited collection aims to fill this gap in our knowledge by targeting original and novel research contributions that tackle these specific topics.
For this research topic collection, we invite authors to submit their original research or review articles covering but not limited to the following topics on the probiotic mechanisms of surface protein action:
- beneficial host-microbe interactions
- molecular basis of probiotic traits
- structural and functional relationships of probiotic functionality
- probiotic-induced modulation of host cell immune responses
- competitive exclusion of pathogens by probiotics
While the uniquely contributive role of probiotic bacteria in maintaining or improving the gut health and well-being of humans and other animals has been well documented by clinical and experimental studies, many of the molecular mechanisms involved in the host-microbe interactions that facilitate these beneficial effects still remain to be revealed and understood. Since persistence and survival in the digestive tract are two factors that frequently govern how long the health-related actions will last, the adhesion capacity of a probiotic is typically implicated in its suitability and usefulness. Accordingly, this suggests that the initial cell-to-cell contact between a probiotic and host represents an important early step toward the development of health benefits. On this point, surface proteins, including pili are key components on the outer surface of probiotic cells and whose actions include, e.g., interacting with host cell receptor sites, binding to substrates, and adhering to other bacteria. Ultimately, probiotic surface proteins can lead to numerous cascading effects such as the induction of host immune responses, promotion of host colonization and biofilm growth, and competitive exclusion of pathogens.
A clear understanding of the molecular mechanism(s) by which probiotics function and modulate host cells for various health benefits is still in its infancy. Nonetheless, surface adhesins binding to various intestinal substrates (e.g., mucus, mannose, collagen, and fibronectin), surface (S)-layer proteins, and multi-functional moonlighting proteins represent just a few examples of probiotic proteins that have been identified so far, though in most instances their precise mode of action has not been fully explored yet and thus still remains uncertain. This edited collection aims to fill this gap in our knowledge by targeting original and novel research contributions that tackle these specific topics.
For this research topic collection, we invite authors to submit their original research or review articles covering but not limited to the following topics on the probiotic mechanisms of surface protein action:
- beneficial host-microbe interactions
- molecular basis of probiotic traits
- structural and functional relationships of probiotic functionality
- probiotic-induced modulation of host cell immune responses
- competitive exclusion of pathogens by probiotics
