Interactions between Roseburia intestinalis and diet modulate atherogenesis in a murine model

Humans with metabolic and inflammatory diseases frequently harbor lower levels of butyrate-producing bacteria in their gut. However, it is not known whether variation in the levels of these organisms is causally linked with disease development and whether diet modifies the impact of these bacteria on health.We used germ-free apolipoprotein E-deficient mice colonized with synthetic microbial communities that differ in their capacity to generate butyrate to demonstrate that Roseburia intestinalis interacts with dietary components to (i) impact gene expression in the intestine, directing metabolism away from glycolysis and toward fatty acid utilization, (ii) improve intestinal barrier function, (iii) lower systemic inflammation and (iv) ameliorate atherosclerosis.