Kerim Eroglu

Research Program Overview

The Eroglu lab at NC State University strives to describe biochemical routes and downstream signaling effects of carotenoid metabolism by the gut microbiota in mammalian organisms. We are investigating the role of carotenoids in the gut microbiota and in mediating microbe-host interactions. The overall objective of our research program is to harness carotenoid metabolism in the gut microbiota and to reveal implications for host inflammation.

We are seeking answers to three BIG BEAUTIFUL BIOLOGY QUESTIONS in our team.

1. How do carotenoids modulate the gut microbiota?
2. Do microbially-derived carotenoids impact host inflammation?
3. Can yeast exert similar changes in the gut as dietary carotenoids?

We formulated four distinctive objectives to answer these questions.

Objective 1: We aim to determine the impact of carotenoids on the mammalian gut microbiome.

Objective 2: We aim to illustrate how carotenoids impact local and systemic inflammation.

Objective 3: We aim to reveal carotenoid production pathways encoded in the gut microbiota using innovative high-throughput assays.

Objective 4: We aim to engineer probiotic yeast to release carotenoids in the mammalian gut.

We will advance knowledge by unraveling the links in the carotenoids, gut microbiota, and host inflammation by achieving these objectives. We will ultimately move the fields of carotenoid biochemistry, gut microbiome, and microbiology forward.