You are what you host: microbiome modulation of the aging process

Abstract

The critical impact that microbiota have on health and disease makes the interaction between host and microbiome increasingly important as we evaluate therapeutics. Here, we highlight growing evidence that, beyond disease, microbes also affect the most fundamental of host physiological phenotypes, the rate of aging itself.

Figure 1. Microbe-modulation of invertebrate aging and physiology

A. Bacterial-derived signals NO and ncRNAs regulate C. elegans longevity. B. Metformin increases C. elegans lifespan via effects on bacterial folate metabolism. C. L. plantarum drive Drosophila growth under low nutrient conditions via the longevity modulator TOR. D. Different bacterial species elicit specific transcriptional responses in C. elegans.