ArticleNature microbiology2024
BilR is a gut microbial enzyme that reduces bilirubin to urobilinogen.
Article in Nature microbiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers.
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 56 citations in OpenAlex.
- gutSMASH 2.0: Extended Identification of Primary Metabolic Gene Clusters From the Human Gut Microbiota.Journal of molecular biology · 2026Article
- Artificial Intelligence-Driven Multidimensional Phenotyping of Gut Metabolic States for Personalized Prebiotic, Probiotic, and Postbiotic Strategies.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2026Article
- Association Between Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis and Bilirubin Metabolism Dysregulation in Children with Heart Failure.Journal of cardiovascular translational research · 2026Article
- Short-term temporal variation in the early-life gut microbiota links maternal clinical phenotypes to neonatal jaundice.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- The microbiome regulates host metabolic health and diseases through microbial enzymes.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2026Review
- Identification of the complete pathway for conversion of bilirubin to urobilinogen by human gut bacteria.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Discovery of BilV reveals a multienzymatic basis for bilirubin reduction across vertebrate gut microbiomes.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Innovative analysis and future prospects of Bupleuri Radix's pharmacology and toxicity based on the gut-liver axis.MedScience · 2026Review
- Transforming Toxicity into Therapy: Exploring Bilirubin's Benefits and Its Molecular Role in Cardiac Health and Disease.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Antibiotic Exposure Through Human Milk Influences the Infant Gut Microbiome.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- β-Glucuronidase at the Microbiota-Host Interface: Dual Regulatory Roles and Precision Modulation by Natural Products.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Microbiome-derived cancer: the catabolism of bilirubin to urobilin in the liver-gut axis and its consequences.Gastroenterology report · 2026Review
- Deconvolving Phylogenetic Distance Mixtures.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Disrupted terminal bilirubin catabolism linksFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Comparative effectiveness of different probiotics combined with phototherapy for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia: a retrospective, non-randomized cohort study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- The HO-1/bilirubin axis in cardiovascular protection: critical evidence for modulation by plant metabolites and traditional multi-component formulations used in Chinese medicine.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Maternal probiotics intake during pregnancy and exclusive colostrum breastfeeding are associated with a reduced risk of neonatal jaundice.BMC medicine · 2025Article
- Dynamic relationships between bilirubin concentrations and the gut microbiota in the neonatal period: A pilot prospective cohort study.Pediatric investigation · 2025Article
- Gut microbiota-regulated unconjugated bilirubin metabolism drives renal calcium oxalate crystal deposition.Gut microbes · 2025Article
- Heme in Bacterial Pathogenesis and as an Antimicrobial Target.Chemical reviews · 2025Review
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16 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Metabolism of haem by-products such as bilirubin by humans and their gut microbiota is essential to human health, as excess serum bilirubin can cause jaundice and even neurological damage. The bacterial enzymes that reduce bilirubin to urobilinogen, a key step in this pathway, have remained unidentified. Here we used biochemical analyses and comparative genomics to identify BilR as a gut-microbiota-derived bilirubin reductase that reduces bilirubin to urobilinogen. We delineated the BilR sequences from similar reductases through the identification of key residues critical for bilirubin reduction and found that BilR is predominantly encoded by Firmicutes species. Analysis of human gut metagenomes revealed that BilR is nearly ubiquitous in healthy adults, but prevalence is decreased in neonates and individuals with inflammatory bowel disease. This discovery sheds light on the role of the gut microbiome in bilirubin metabolism and highlights the significance of the gut-liver axis in maintaining bilirubin homeostasis.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.