Butyrate Makes Macrophages “Go Nuclear” against Bacterial Pathogens

Butyrate is a microbial metabolite with pleiotropic effects. Schulthess et al. (2019) Schulthess J. Pandey S. Capitani M. Rue-Albrecht K.C. Arnold I. Franchini F. Chomka A. Ilott N.E. Johnston D.G.W. Pires E. et al. The short chain fatty acid butyrate imprints an antimicrobial program in macrophages. Immunity. 2019; 50 ( this issue) : 432-445 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2) Google Scholar report that butyrate preconditioning of macrophages enhances their anti-bacterial preparedness by inducing anti-microbial proteins that restrict bacterial growth. This study augments understanding of how microbial metabolites shape host defense