Abstract 2269 Microbial mechanisms of antioxidant utilization and metabolism in the host

Bacteria that chronically colonize the host must adapt to various forms of stress in the host environment. The molecular mechanisms bacteria use to sense and respond to these environmental signals are crucial for maintaining homeostasis at the host–microbe interface. My laboratory uses chemical and biological tools to uncover proteins, post-translational modifications, and metabolites that shape bacterial adaptation to oxidative stress. We previously reported the discovery of a widely conserved microbial transporter of the dietary antioxidant ergothioneine. Ergothioneine accumulates to high levels in intestinal tissues via a mechanistically distinct mammalian transporter, suggesting gastrointestinal microbes may compete with intestinal cells for this antioxidant. In this talk, I will describe some of our work using reactivity-guided metabolomic approaches and animal models to examine ergothioneine uptake and metabolism by commensal microbes in the host. This work is supported by NIH R35GM137952 and T32GM067543.