Recent studies have identified microbial natural products as key factors that induce gut inflammation. However, several studies have implicated a role of the microbiome in influencing diseases that affect multiple organs and disrupt whole-body homeostasis. The gut epithelial monolayer forms a biochemical and physical barrier that prevents parenteral organs from being exposed to intestinal luminal contents. Thus, the intestinal epithelium forms the first line of defense against dietary factors that can affect metabolic disease. Despite its importance, the mechanism of how the microbiome induces gut permeability in metabolic diseases remains largely unstudied. The Chaudhari Lab will study the link between microbial metabolites present in high concentrations in the gut and disruption of intestinal epithelial lining. Refs: Science Advances 2022, Cell Host & Microbe 2021