Prof. Yuuki Obata, UT Southwestern

Yuuki Obata from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States, will give a talk:

Timing matters: environmental regulation of the enteric nervous system

“The human body must sense both internal and external environments to ensure survival. The intestine is a unique organ capable of directly sensing components of the external environment such as food and gut microbes, while also producing signals that influence the brain’s perception of the body. The sensory circuitry of the intestine is orchestrated by its intrinsic neural network, known as the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ENS is optimally positioned to translate gut exteroceptive information into intestinal functions as well as systemic changes in physiology and behavior through the gut-brain axis. Since many aspects of intestinal physiology are autonomously regulated by the ENS, deficits in its function have been implicated in various intestinal disorders. Due to its autonomy and complex circuitry influencing both local and systemic biological processes, the ENS is often referred to as “the second brain.” Although the study of gut-driven behaviors has expanded rapidly in recent years, the molecular mechanisms by which the ENS senses the external environment are only beginning to be elucidated. In this talk, I will present our recent findings on the environmental regulation of the ENS, focusing on microbial programming, immune regulation of neural circuits, and food entrainment of gut neuronal circadian oscillators.”

Yuuki Obata, together with Vassilis Pachnis from the Francis Crick Institute in London, was one of the first to uncover the connection between the microbiome and the enteric nervous systems at a mechanistic level (Obata et al. Neuronal programming by microbiota regulates intestinal physiology. Nature. 2020 Feb;578(7794):284-289).

Host

Prof. Bosch