Abstract 2937 Microbial regulation of lipid metabolism in C. elegans

The complex relationship between Eukarya and associated microbiota influences nearly every aspect of host metabolism, but efforts to identify the biochemical effectors of these interactions remain sparse. In this study, we use C. elegans as a model organism to explore the effect of the microbiome on host lipid metabolism. Using fluorescence microscopy, we observe differential activation of a key regulator of fat metabolism, the transcription factor NHR-49 , which acts through the desaturase FAT-7 to rewire the lipidome in response to colonization by specific bacterial diets.