IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-Crosstalk of the environment and the immune system - challenges and opportunities, Sponsored by the German Soc. For Immunol. (DGfl)

Crosstalk of the environment and the immune system - challenges and opportunities, Sponsored by the German Soc. For Immunol. (DGfl)

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Video Summary

Charlotte Esser from the Leibniz Research Institute of Environmental Medicine discussed how the toxic pollutant dioxin affects the gut microbiome in a sex-specific way. She explained that dioxin acts through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), can persist in the body for years, and is known to cause immunosuppression and other toxic effects. In her mouse study, adult male and female mice were fed very low doses of TCDD for 12 weeks. Standard measures such as weight, gut histology, and barrier gene expression showed little change, and 16S sequencing found no major shifts in microbiome diversity. However, more detailed flow-cytometry-based profiling revealed hidden changes in microbial community structure, especially in female mice. Her conclusion was that environmental pollutants can alter microbiome function without changing species composition, and that sex-stratified, phenotypic microbiome analysis is essential.

Meta Tag

Date April 16, 2026 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM

Room 104C

Session Crosstalk of the environment and the immune system - challenges and opportunities, Sponsored by the German Soc. For Immunol. (DGfl)

Speaker Charlotte Esser

Track Mucosal And Regional Immunology (MUC)

Year 2026

Keywords

dioxin

gut microbiome

aryl hydrocarbon receptor

sex-specific effects

TCDD

mouse study

April 16, 2026 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM

104C

Crosstalk of the environment and the immune system - challenges and opportunities, Sponsored by the German Soc. For Immunol. (DGfl)

Charlotte Esser

Mucosal And Regional Immunology (MUC)

2026