Akkermansia muciniphila, can strip the sugar coating from IgA antibodies, potentially leading to immune friendly fire

Scientists found that this bacteria would strip IgA antibody of its sugar in mice altered to carry human immune genes and in human cells grown in the lab, leaving the antibody in the same form associated with IgA nephropathy. In the body, this unsweetening makes the antibody unrecognizable to the immune system.

Researchers collected stool samples from 33 patients with IgA nephropathy as well as from 20 people with other chronic kidney diseases and 65 healthy patients. They found increased levels of bacterial species that can strip sugar from molecules in the guts of patients with the disease, particularly Akkermansia muciniphila.

https://www.statnews.com/2024/03/27/gut-bacteria-microbiome-kidney-autoimmune-disease/

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From the link:

β€œIt’s a really clever hypothesis,” said Emily Balskus, a chemistry professor at Harvard University who leads a research lab focused on microbial metabolism and who was not involved in the study. Most research on the gut microbiome has only shown correlative evidence, she said, but this research begins to connect actual chemical changes in the gut to human disease.

You may want to link this post to the Immunity Code by Joel Greene thread.