2026/04/02 by Soraya Rabahi, Lucie Maurin, Emiliano Marachlian +22 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Immunology and Microbiology · #Aquaculture disease management and microbiota #Gut microbiota and health #Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
paper · doi:10.1126/science.adr1707
openalex publication_date 2026/04/02 · openalex created_date 2026/04/03 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/26
The gut microbiota, immune system, and enteric nervous system interact to regulate adult gut physiology. However, the mechanisms establishing gut physiology during development remain unknown. We report that in developing zebrafish, enteroendocrine cells produced interleukin-22 (IL-22) in response to microbial signals before lymphocytes populated the gut. In larvae, IL-22 shaped the gut microbiota, increasing Lactobacillaceae abundance and ghrelin expression to promote gut motility. Impaired motility and ghrelin expression were restored in il22 −/− zebrafish by transfer of microbiota from wild-type zebrafish or by introducing only Lactobacillus plantarum . IL-22–deficient mice also had impaired gut motility and reduced ghrelin expression in early life, indicating a conserved function. Thus, before immune system maturation, enteroendocrine cells regulate early-life gut function by controlling the microbiota through IL-22.