Probiotic Bacillus subtilis Protects against α-Synuclein Aggregation in C. elegans.

ABSTRACT: Recent discoveries have implicated the gut microbiome in the progression and severity of Parkinson's disease; however, how gut bacteria affect such neurodegenerative disorders remains unclear. Here, we report that the Bacillus subtilis probiotic strain PXN21 inhibits α-synuclein aggregation and clears preformed aggregates in an established Caenorhabditis elegans model of synucleinopathy. This protection is seen in young and aging animals and is partly mediated by DAF-16. Multiple B. subtilis strains trigger the protective effect via both spores and vegetative cells, partly due to a biofilm formation in the gut of the worms and the release of bacterial metabolites. We identify several host metabolic pathways differentially regulated in response to probiotic exposure, including sphingolipid

SUBMITTER: Goya ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6963774 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature