Community Series in Interaction between the Gut Flora and Immunity in Intestinal Diseases: Volume II

This Research Topic is the second volume of the “Interaction between the Gut Flora and Immunity in Intestinal Diseases” Community Series. Please see volume I here.

The composition of gut microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining the host's health, particularly in regulating immune homeostasis and the intestinal immune response. A massive effort has pointed to the importance of these interactions in various intestinal diseases like colorectal cancer (CRC), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Microbiome influences the formation of key components of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, while the immune system is responsible for regulating and maintaining the symbiotic relationship between the host and microbes. Currently, the crosstalk between gut flora and host immunity is not fully revealed in both homeostasis maintenance and disease development. Hence detailed mechanistic studies are needed to further explore the microbial manipulation on host immunity as well as the immune response to microbiome dysbiosis in intestinal diseases.

Current evidence indicates a strong bidirectional interaction between microbiome perturbation and immune dysregulation. The aim of this Research Topic is to create a platform for the advancement of research on the causal relationship between the microbiome and immunity. Besides, we would like to define the core microbiota responsible for the initiation and progression of intestinal diseases, the molecular mechanisms of host immune-microbiome interactions, and novel gut-targeted pharmacological interventions to achieve a positive impact on intestinal disease.

We encourage contributions of Original Research, Clinical Trials, Reviews, and Commentaries that explore a broad range of topics, including but not limited to:

- Description of the microbiome-immune interactions in the onset and progression of intestinal diseases.
- Investigation of the crosstalk, especially of the causal relationship between gut flora and the immune system in intestinal diseases.
- Assessing clinical models or microbiome-immune biomarkers to predict the prognosis of intestinal disorders.
- Application of novel microbiota approaches and immunotherapy strategies in the management of intestinal disorders.