Your gut talks to your liver: Study reveals how microbes influence liver function through DNA 'switches'

Article excerpt

Scientists at Singapore's A*STAR Genome Institute have identified how gut bacteria influence liver function by controlling regulatory DNA segments that act like molecular switches. Testing over 100,000 DNA switches linked to liver biology, the team used both lab and live-organism approaches to pinpoint which switches operate under real physiological conditions and how microbes manipulate them. The discovery reveals a direct biochemical pathway between gut microbiome composition and liver gene activity, potentially opening new avenues for treating metabolic and liver diseases by targeting microbial populations.