Constituents of stable commensal microbiota imply diverse colonic epithelial cell reactivity in patients with ulcerative colitis.

This study reveals that a substantial part of the gut microbiota remains stable throughout progression of UC. Functional experiments suggest that members of core microbiota - Escherichia coli and Phocaeicola vulgatus - potentially differentially regulate the expression of tight junction gene in the colonic epithelium of UC patients and healthy individuals.