Ting Zhang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Microbiology, WashU Medicine

Talk title: Deciphering the liver-gut communication during enteric infection

Host: Tristan Li, PhD

Abstract: The liver receives the majority of its blood supply from the portal venous system, which drains the gastrointestinal tract. In return, the liver communicates with the intestine by forming and secreting bile into the intestine. Despite extensive studies on the role of this multi-organ system in metabolism and detoxification, the implications of its function in host defense responses are less well-charted. We will discuss how enteric-infection-associated signals are relayed between the intestine and liver and induce transcriptional programs that shape the bile metabolome, modifying bile’s immunoregulatory and host defense functions.