Bacteroides fragilis outer membrane vesicle mediates Pseudomonadota colonization by inducing autophagy on the skin
Abstract
Skin homeostasis is essential for host defense. Though constantly exposed to the external environment, signals from anaerobes have been detected in deeper skin layers, with their functional role in cutaneous immunity remaining unclear. Here, we explored whether skin-associated Bacteroidota contribute to pathogen exclusion via host autophagy. Comparative analysis of the skin microbiota revealed a progressive reduction in Pseudomonadota abundance alongside an increase in Bacteroidota during childhood-to-adulthood transition. A significant inverse correlation between Bacteroidota and Pseudomonadota abundance was observed in pediatric cohorts. Bacteroides fragilis and its secreted outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) induced autophagy, which facilitated Pseudomonadota clearance in macrophages. In vivo colonization experiments showed that live B. fragilis bacteria or intact OMVs outcompeted Pseudomonadota in wild-type mice, but not in lc3a−/− mice. These findings provide a plausible model explaining the inverse association detected in human cohorts, indicating that B. fragilis may help suppress potentially pathogenic taxa like Pseudomonadota on the skin.
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BibTeX
@article{guo2026bacteroides,
title = {{Bacteroides fragilis outer membrane vesicle mediates Pseudomonadota colonization by inducing autophagy on the skin}},
author = {Yanan Guo and Nadira Nurxat and Qichen Wang and Zhen Shen and Na Zhao and Yao Liu and Ying Jian and Bei Ye and Min Li and Qian Liu},
journal = {iScience},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.isci.2026.117969},
url = {https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)03352-3},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Bacteroides fragilis outer membrane vesicle mediates Pseudomonadota colonization by inducing autophagy on the skin
AU - Yanan Guo
AU - Nadira Nurxat
AU - Qichen Wang
AU - Zhen Shen
AU - Na Zhao
AU - Yao Liu
AU - Ying Jian
AU - Bei Ye
AU - Min Li
AU - Qian Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - iScience
DO - 10.1016/j.isci.2026.117969
UR - https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)03352-3
AB - Skin homeostasis is essential for host defense. Though constantly exposed to the external environment, signals from anaerobes have been detected in deeper skin layers, with their functional role in cutaneous immunity remaining unclear. Here, we explored whether skin-associated Bacteroidota contribute to pathogen exclusion via host autophagy. Comparative analysis of the skin microbiota revealed a progressive reduction in Pseudomonadota abundance alongside an increase in Bacteroidota during childhood-to-adulthood transition. A significant inverse correlation between Bacteroidota and Pseudomonadota abundance was observed in pediatric cohorts. Bacteroides fragilis and its secreted outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) induced autophagy, which facilitated Pseudomonadota clearance in macrophages. In vivo colonization experiments showed that live B. fragilis bacteria or intact OMVs outcompeted Pseudomonadota in wild-type mice, but not in lc3a−/− mice. These findings provide a plausible model explaining the inverse association detected in human cohorts, indicating that B. fragilis may help suppress potentially pathogenic taxa like Pseudomonadota on the skin.
SN - 2589-0042
ER -