A human gut <i>Faecalibacterium prausnitzii</i> fatty acid amide hydrolase

Undernutrition in Bangladeshi children is associated with disruption of postnatal gut microbiota assembly; compared with standard therapy, a microbiota-directed complementary food (MDCF) substantially improved their ponderal and linear growth. Here, we characterize a fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) from a growth-associated intestinal strain of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii cultured from these children. This enzyme, expressed and purified from Escherichia coli, hydrolyzes a variety of N -acylamides, including oleoylethanolamide (OEA), neurotransmitters, and quorum sensing N -acyl homoserine lactones; it also synthesizes a range of N -acylamides, notably N -acyl amino acids. Treating germ-free mice with N -oleoylarginine and N -oleolyhistidine, major products of FAAH OEA metabolism, markedly affected expression of intestinal immune function pathways. Administering MDCF to Bangladeshi children considerably reduced fecal OEA,…