Gastrointestinal Homeostasis in the Equine Hindgut

Gastrointestinal (GI) homeostasis or the balance between epithelial cell function, pro-inflammatory responses to pathogens, and the tolerance of commensal bacteria is an essential part of ensuring normal physiology and performance of the GI tract. Maintaining this balance is a complex network of factors that regulate the physiological function and gene expression of the GI tissues, the integrity of the mucosal barrier, and the host immune response to resist pathogenic microorganisms while supporting commensal bacteria which provide benefits to the host. These factors interact and work together and respond to changes in diet, environment, application external stress, and challenges by infectious agents or toxins to maintain homeostasis and healthy gastrointestinal function. The objective of this project is to characterize host gene expression (coding and non-coding) and composition of the microbial populations of the hindgut.