[
International Worm Meeting,
2021]
Recent discoveries have implicated the gut microbiome in the progression and severity of Parkinson's disease. However, how gut bacteria affect neurodegenerative disorders remains unclear. We previously showed that a probiotic Bacillus subtilis strain inhibits alpha-synuclein aggregation and clears preformed aggregates in an established Caenorhabditis elegans model of synucleinopathy (Goya et al, 2020). The reduction in aggregates can be triggered by multiple B. subtilis strains and correlates with improved locomotion in alpha-synuclein-expressing worms. We provide evidence for distinct contributions of spores and vegetative cells in inhibiting alpha-synuclein aggregation, and a role of biofilm formation in the gut for maintaining low levels of aggregation during aging. We are taking genetics and metabolomics approaches to uncover bacterial metabolic pathways that mediate the protective effect, and host response mechanisms triggered by the B. subtilis diet. Our findings provide a basis for exploring the disease-modifying potential of B. subtilis and its metabolic products in synucleinopathies.