# Mechanism of innate immune activation by intestinal distension

> **NIH NIH R01** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $382,144

## Abstract

SUMMARY
The ability to distinguish harmful and beneficial microbes is critical for the survival of an organism. Increasing
evidence indicates that gut distension caused by bacterial colonization activates a broad innate immune
response. We propose that microbial colonization and bloating of the intestine may be perceived as a danger
signal that activates an immune fight-and-flight response. This innate immune activation depends on inputs
from the intestine that can aid in the recognition of a broad range of microbes and can modulate host
responses using a neural-gut axis that controls immune homeostasis. This proposal describes experiments
designed to elucidate the mechanisms by which the nervous system may sense overall changes in host
physiology during pathogen infections and coordinate innate immune responses. Using the nematode
Caenorhabditis elegans, we have demonstrated that specific genes and neurons in the nervous system of the
animal control immune responses, indicating that cell non-autonomous signals from different neurons may act
on non-neural tissues to regulate innate immune responses at the organismal level. We propose the use of a
variety of molecular and genetic techniques to explore the general hypothesis that alterations in host
physiology caused by bacterial infections trigger innate immune responses against bacterial infections that are
controlled at that whole animal level by the nervous system.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10458056
- **Project number:** 5R01AI156900-03
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Alejandro Aballay
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $382,144
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-22 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10458056

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10458056, Mechanism of innate immune activation by intestinal distension (5R01AI156900-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10458056. Licensed CC0.

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