麦角硫因研究登上Cell子刊

Core Viewpoint - The study published by Yale University researchers demonstrates that the metabolic cross-feeding of the dietary antioxidant ergothioneine enhances anaerobic energy metabolism in human gut bacteria [2][3]. Group 1: Key Findings - The research team proved that gut bacteria from different phyla can mutually provide a common dietary antioxidant under anaerobic conditions to generate energy [5]. - Clostridium symbiosum encodes ergothioneine enzymes that convert ergothioneine, an antioxidant derived from mushrooms, into the electron acceptor thiourocanic acid (TUA) [6][10]. - Bacteroides xylanisolvens can reduce TUA, thereby increasing ATP synthesis and bacterial growth [7][10]. Group 2: Implications and Associations - Specific human fecal microbiota selectively produce and consume TUA [8][10]. - There is a significant enrichment of ergothioneine enzyme genes in the fecal metagenomes of colorectal cancer patients, indicating a potential link between gut ergothioneine homeostasis and colorectal cancer [9][10]. - The findings suggest how the cross-feeding of symbiotic antioxidant nutrients enhances microbial energy metabolism, which may help explain differences in disease risk among individuals [10].