Niki M. Moutsopoulos, D.D.S., Ph.D., Chief
The vision of the Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome (LHIM) is to comprehensively examine the factors controlling immunity and inflammation, whether they are host intrinsic (e.g., tissue-specific or the consequence of tissue-tissue communication) or extrinsic (e.g., involving the microbiota, nutrition, or infection). One major goal of the laboratory is to assess the consequences of environmental stress, such as microbiota colonization, nutrition, and pollution, on host immunity and predisposition to chronic inflammatory disorders at barrier surfaces, such as the gastrointestinal and respiratory mucosa, in the context of early life and into adulthood. The laboratory also seeks to explore novel microbiota-mediated and immunotherapeutic approaches to target human (mucosal) disease. The laboratory is built upon strong clinical-basic research foundations and partnerships with the NIH Clinical Center and the NIAID Microbiome Program.
LHIM has been specifically organized to maximize the capacity of its investigators to conduct cutting-edge research. It is home to the NIAID Microbiome Program, which supports microbiome-related research through gnotobiotic, microbiology, and genomic core services. A major emphasis of LHIM is to promote collaborations between the laboratories within NIAID, as well as with the larger NIH (including the larger NIH immunology community) and extramural scientific communities. LHIM also has a strong emphasis on mentorship and fostering the next generation of scientific leaders.
Major Areas of Research
LHIM utilizes transdisciplinary approaches in the exploration of host-microbe, tissue-tissue, and host-environment interactions. Areas of research focus include:
- Immunology (e.g., human immunology, immunometabolism, nutritional immunology)
- Microbiology (e.g., microbial ecology, antimicrobial resistance)
- Chemistry (e.g., microbiota-derived natural products)
- Neuroscience (e.g., gut/brain axis)
- Genomics
In these latter cases, the lab has a particular interest in how such studies would enhance our understanding of host immunity.
People
The Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome (LHIM) includes the following principal investigators, staff scientists, and/or staff clinicians:
- Eric Van Dang, Ph.D.
- Suchitra Hourigan, M.D.
- Hao Jin, Ph.D.
- Niki M. Moutsopoulos, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Networks
- The NIAID Microbiome Program is a collaborative effort to explore the metaorganism. The Program supports microbiome-related research through gnotobiotic, microbiology, and genomic core services.
- The Center for Human Immunology (CHI) is a trans-NIH initiative to achieve an integrated understanding of human immunity and the microbiome in health and disease.
Publications
Kim TS, Ikeuchi T, Theofilou VI, Williams DW, Greenwell-Wild T, June A, Adade EE, Li L, Abusleme L, Dutzan N, Yuan Y, Brenchley L, Bouladoux N, Sakamachi Y; NIDCD/NIDCR Genomics and Computational Biology Core; Palmer RJ Jr, Iglesias-Bartolome R, Trinchieri G, Garantziotis S, Belkaid Y, Valm AM, Diaz PI, Holland SM, Moutsopoulos NM. Epithelial-derived interleukin-23 promotes oral mucosal immunopathology. Immunity. 2024 Apr 9;57(4):859-875.e11.
Namasivayam S, Tilves C, Ding H, Wu S, Domingue JC, Ruiz-Bedoya C, Shah A, Bohrnsen E, Schwarz B, Bacorn M, Chen Q, Levy S, Dominguez Bello MG, Jain SK, Sears CL, Mueller NT, Hourigan SK. Fecal transplant from vaginally seeded infants decreases intraabdominal adiposity in mice. Gut Microbes. 2024 Jan-Dec;16(1):2353394.
Dang EV, Reboldi A. Cholesterol sensing and metabolic adaptation in tissue immunity. Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov;45(11):861-870.
Zheng Y, Dang EV. Novel mechanistic insights underlying fungal allergic inflammation. PLoS Pathog. 2023 Sep 13;19(9):e1011623.
Jin H, Li M, Jeong E, Castro-Martinez F, Zuker CS. A body-brain circuit that regulates body inflammatory responses. Nature. 2024 Jun;630(8017):695-703.