Nutrient Sensing by the Intestinal Epithelium Orchestrates Mucosal Antimicrobial Defense via Translational Control of Hes1 (Cell Host & Microbe)

Metabolic and antimicrobial programs are integrated to ensure proper immunity during stress. Liang et al. show that during nutrient fluctuations, antimicrobial peptide ?-defensin and its processing enzyme MMP7 are functionally sustained via translational attenuation of the transcriptional repressor Hes1. This MMP7-?-defensin axis provides essential protection against enteric infections during nutrient deprivation.