Elena S Wall

Microbiome dysbiosis is a feature of diabetes, but how microbial products influence insulin production is poorly understood. We report the mechanism of BefA, a microbiome-derived protein that increases proliferation of...

The enteric nervous system (ENS) controls many aspects of intestinal homeostasis, including parameters that shape the habitat of microbial residents. Previously we showed that zebrafish lacking an ENS, due to...

Intestinal neoplasms and preneoplastic lesions are common in zebrafish research facilities. Previous studies have demonstrated that these neoplasms are caused by a transmissible agent, and two candidate agents have been...

Some of the densest microbial ecosystems in nature thrive within the intestines of humans and other animals. To protect mucosal tissues and maintain immune tolerance, animal hosts actively sequester bacteria...

Antibiotics induce large and highly variable changes in the intestinal microbiome even at sublethal concentrations, through mechanisms that remain elusive. Using gnotobiotic zebrafish, which allow high-resolution examination of microbial dynamics,...

When injured, fish release an alarm substance (Schreckstoff) that elicits fear in members of their shoal. Although Schreckstoff has been proposed to be produced by club cells in the skin,...

Are there general biophysical relationships governing the spatial organization of the gut microbiome? Despite growing realization that spatial structure is important for population stability, interbacterial competition, and host functions, it...

Correlating the presence of bacteria and the genes they carry with aspects of plant and animal biology is rapidly outpacing the functional characterization of naturally occurring symbioses. A major barrier...