Diet modulates colonic T cell responses by regulating the expression of a <i>Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron</i> antigen

Abstract

protein, BT4295, whose expression is regulated by nutrients, with glucose being a strong catabolite repressor. Mice fed a high-glucose diet had a greatly reduced activation of BθOM T cells in the colon. These studies establish that the immune response to specific bacterial antigens can be modified by changes in the diet by altering antigen expression in the microbe.