Funding outcome

Mounting pre-clinical and clinical evidence strongly supports an important role for the gut microbes in the development of a healthy immune system, particularly in the early stage of life. Perturbed interactions of this coordinated and melodious relationship of immune cells with the good bacteria in the gut, often referred to as dysbiosis, are associated with various diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), type 1 diabetes, asthma, and other inflammatory conditions in infants. Therefore, understanding how the immune mechanisms operate in infants is key for developing new approaches to improve their health around the globe. The major question in the field has been that how the immune system welcomes the establishment of these good bacteria in the gut after birth. Recently, we have shown that newborns are physiologically enriched with immature red blood cells (CD71+ erythroid cells). These cells play a crucial role in early life for the gut tolerance to colonization with the good bacteria. Thus, understanding how immune mechanisms operate in infants, in particular, the cross-talk between immune cells and these beneficial bacteria is crucial for developing new interventions for reducing the burden of these major health issues in this most vulnerable population. For example, preterm babies have a lower number of these immature red blood cells in their cord blood, which suggests a reason for greater inflammation in their gut. Our studies could provide novel insight into mechanisms that govern the immunological differences seen in early life that result in adaptation to the microbiome (good bacteria) or autoimmune diseases and how these changes influence the brain development.