E. C. Martens

Iron acquisition by a commensal bacterium modifies host nutritional immunity during Salmonella infection

This study shows that the commensal bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron acquires iron using siderophores from Salmonella, evading host sequestration by lipocalin-2 and allowing Salmonella to bypass nutritional immunity.

The NQR complex regulates the immunomodulatory function of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron

This study identifies the NQR complex in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron as essential for IL-10 production via outer membrane vesicles, highlighting a microbial pathway in immunomodulation.

Opposing diet, microbiome and metabolite mechanisms regulate inflammatory bowel disease in a genetically susceptible host

The paper shows that low dietary fiber promotes colitis in genetically susceptible mice by eroding mucus, while a fiber-free diet increases anti-inflammatory metabolites, highlighting microbial function over taxa in IBD regulation.

Sulfated host glycan recognition by carbohydrate sulfatases of the human gut microbiota

This study analyzes carbohydrate sulfatases from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, correlating structural and functional data with phylogenetic and environmental analyses to understand sulfated glycan metabolism.

A single bacterial sulfatase is required for metabolism of colonic mucin O-glycans and intestinal colonization by a symbiotic human gut bacterium

This study identifies a single sulfatase essential for colonic mucin O-glycan metabolism and intestinal colonization by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.

Extensive transfer of genes for edible seaweed digestion from marine to human gut bacteria

The paper shows gut bacteria have extensively adapted to digest seaweed polysaccharides through gene transfer from marine bacteria, revealing widespread metabolic plasticity in the human gut microbiome.

Multiple phase-variable mechanisms, including capsular polysaccharides, modify bacteriophage susceptibility in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron

This study shows that capsular polysaccharides and other phase-variable cell surface structures in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron influence bacteriophage susceptibility, enabling bacterial persistence through phase variation.

Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron-infecting bacteriophage isolates inform sequence-based host range prediction

The paper isolates and analyzes 27 bacteriophages infecting Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, identifies phage structural gene alleles linked to infectivity, and highlights unexplored phage diversity in the human gut.