Fasting primes small intestinal regeneration after damage via a microbiome metabolite chromatin axis

Abstract

Fasting enhances small intestinal regeneration after radiation but the contribution of the gut microbiome to this process remains uncharacterized. We identify Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK) as a key mediator of this response. AKK was enriched in fasted mice and its antibiotic depletion abrogated radioprotection whereas reintroduction restored both organismal survival and intestinal integrity. Fasting elevated propionic acid, consistent with AKKs metabolic output. AKK-conditioned medium and propionate induced histone H3 acetylation in intestinal stem cell cultures while in vivo fasting induced AKK-dependent H3K27ac and H3K9ac, remodeling promoter-enhancer landscapes in crypt epithelial cells. Epigenetic profiling revealed a rewired core regulatory program enriched for pioneer transcription factors (Foxa, Gata, Klf), architectural organizers (Ctcf, Boris), and lineage-defining and metabolic regulators (Cdx2, Hnf4). This program supports expansion of a population of persister stem cells characterized by open chromatin accessibility at key stem and regenerative-associated loci including Clu, Olfm4, Lgr5, Ascl2, Lrig1, Sox9, Rnf43, and Axin2. These findings define a fasting-induced microbiome-metabolite-chromatin axis that epigenetically primes highly plastic persister stem cells for rapid regeneration of the intestinal epithelium following radiation-induced injury. Significance StatementFasting changes the gut microbiome, but how these changes help the body recover from damage is not well understood. We found that fasting increases a helpful bacterium, Akkermansia muciniphila, which produces propionate, which drives epigenetic changes by modifying histones and regulating gene activity. These changes promote the expansion of persister stem cells that help the intestine recover after radiation. This study shows how fasting and gut bacteria work together to protect healthy tissue and suggests that diet or microbial treatments could help reduce side effects of cancer radiotherapy.