Intestinal bacteria hijack an evolutionarily conserved epithelial repair signal

Apoptosis in the gut triggers an expansion in the Enterobacteriaceae family of bacteria, causing both prolonged tissue injury and delayed repair. However, the mechanisms linking the Enterobacteriaceae bloom and subsequent deleterious tissue response are relatively unknown. Here, we establish purines as a major component of the apoptotic secretome that are consumed by bacteria. Explicitly, we identify hypoxanthine as a critical metabolite that is taken up and metabolised by both pathogenic and commensal species within the Enterobacteriaceae family. Epithelial cells release hypoxanthine into the extracellular space during early stages of apoptosis via the upregulation of equilibrative nucleoside transporters 1/2 (ENT1/2). Critically, beyond simply linking host and microbe, we delineate a connection between the release of hypoxanthine from the dying cell and the ability of the host to repair damaged epithelial tissue. Hypoxanthine is a potent promoter of epithelial cell repair in both gut and skin across the phylogenetic tree including humans, mice, zebrafish, and fruit flies and promotes similar ATP production and cellular proliferation in eukaryotic and microbial recipients. Thus, the preferential utilisation of hypoxanthine by the Enterobacteriaceae directly competes with the host for a core reparative signal.