Gut Microbiota Reprogramming of Tryptophan Metabolism During Pregnancy Shapes Host Insulin Resistance

Gut microbiota is a potent modulator of host metabolism,1 and the host–microbial cross-talk is a dynamic process impacted by the host physiological state. During pregnancy, specific changes in the gut microbiota composition have been described previously,2,3 but little was known on how they can impact host metabolism. In this issue, Priyadarshini and colleagues4 aimed to understand the mechanisms underlying the gut microbiota–host metabolisms interactions during this specific condition. Taking advantage of 3 different mouse lines to avoid strain-specific bias, the authors showed that pregnancy is associated with changes in both gut microbiota composition and metabolic output.