Advances in the interaction between gut microbiota and post-translational modifications of proteins

Gut microbiota intricately regulate host cells through diverse mechanisms, with numerous pathways involving protein post-translational modifications (PTMs). This review comprehensively summarizes the impacts of the gut microbiota on various PTMs in host cells. It elaborates on how these modifications contribute to the development of host diseases, delving into mediating pathways, including changes in microbial metabolites, key enzymes, and the microenvironment. Conversely, it also explores how PTMs influence gut microbiota abundance. To overcome current research limitations, such as narrow perspectives and monotonous methods, novel strategies are proposed. Applying single-cell/spatial omics could reveal cell-type-specific and spatial PTM responses to microbial signals, while integrating AI algorithms with traditional experiments may predict PTM regulatory networks using microbial and host data. These strategies aim to expand research approaches and promote the clinical translation of findings in this field.