Tools for probing host-bacteria interactions in the gut microenvironment: From molecular to cellular levels.

Healthy function of the gut microenvironment is dependent on complex interactions between the bacteria of the microbiome, epithelial and immune (host) cells, and the surrounding tissue. Misregulation of these interactions is implicated in disease. A range of tools have been developed to study these interactions, from mechanistic studies to therapeutic evaluation. In this Digest, we highlight select tools at the cellular and molecular level for probing specific cell-microenvironment interactions. Approaches are overviewed for controlling and probing cell-cell interactions, from transwell and microfluidic devices to engineered bacterial peptidoglycan fragments, and cell-matrix interactions, from three-dimensional scaffolds to chemical handles for in situ modifications.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)