{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T15:05:33Z","timestamp":1789225533373,"version":"build-2803163510"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]},"group-title":"Physiology","reference-count":45,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788998400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>\n                  The microbiome is an important regulator of metabolism and health, yet the mechanisms by which microbial communities influence host physiological state remain incompletely understood. Here we used a defined host-microbiota model consisting of\n                  <jats:italic>Caenorhabditis elegans<\/jats:italic>\n                  and an 11-member bacterial consortium representative of its natural microbiota (DefNatMta). We investigated how this native microbial community influences host metabolism and physiology relative to the standard laboratory diet,\n                  <jats:italic>E. coli<\/jats:italic>\n                  OP50. Transcriptomic analyses revealed remodelling of host pathways associated with lipid metabolism, immunity and xenobiotic detoxification. Comparison with fasting-responsive transcriptional programmes showed that the DefNatMta response is distinct from fasting or caloric restriction. DefNatMta enhanced resistance to\n                  <jats:italic>Staphylococcus aureus<\/jats:italic>\n                  infection, and this protective effect was consistent with roles for the conserved host defence regulators PMK-1\/p38 MAPK and HLH-30\/TFEB. Additionally, DefNatMta reduced lipid accumulation, modified expression of lipid metabolism genes, and altered fatty acid composition, including enrichment of monomethyl branched-chain fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Together, these findings demonstrate that a defined microbial community can induce transcriptional, metabolic and physiological remodelling in the host. Our results are consistent with microbial communities shaping host metabolic state and immune competence.\n                <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.09.06.749774","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T11:10:23Z","timestamp":1789038623000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A defined microbial community remodels host metabolism and pathogen resistance in\n                  <i>Caenorhabditis elegans<\/i>"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"Nathan","family":"Dennis","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Kent, School of Natural Sciences, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, United Kingdom"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Freeman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Kent, School of Natural Sciences, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, United 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L.","family":"Watts","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Washington State University, School of Biological Sciences, Pullman, Washington, U.S.A"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2739-6984","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marina","family":"Ezcurra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Kent, School of Natural Sciences, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, United 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