"Cell" Gut fungi affect neuroimmunity and behavior

The study, published Feb.

"We have established a direct link between major immune pathways induced by fungi in the gut lining and nervous system signals that influence animal behavior," said senior author Iliyan Iliev, PhD, medical immunology in gastroenterology and hepatology Associate Professor and member of the Jill Roberts Institute for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Weill Cornell Medicine

Dilek Colak, Melanie Johncilla and Megan Allen from Weill Cornell Medical College and Dr.

The lining of the gut must balance the conflicting demands of absorbing water and nutrients from food, while acting as a barrier to prevent the large number of microbes in the gut from invading the bloodstream

Mice with these fungi were better able to withstand disruptions to the gut barrier, such as intestinal damage and bacterial infections

Improving gut barrier integrity is not the only effect of fungi

Both effects appear to originate from the animals' own T cells, a type of immune cell

"There is a harmony -- a communication between different types of organisms or between different types of organisms," Dr.

Now, the researchers hope to explore this communication network further

A tantalizing possibility is that different microbial communities in the gut can stimulate different regions of the brain and immune system, with different effects on the biology of the host

"This opens up a whole new area of ​​exploration," said Dr.