Acetate sensing by GPR43 alarms neutrophils and protects from severe sepsis

Abstract

Katja Schlatterer et al. use mouse models to show that elevated serum acetate concentrations prime human neutrophils in a GPR43-dependent fashion, and rescue mice from severe sepsis. These results suggest microbiome-, diet-, or pathogen-derived short-chain fatty acids govern the defense capacities of immune cells, potentially hinting at the therapeutic potential of GPR43 in treating sepsis.