Role of microbiota on lung homeostasis and diseases

The lungs, as a place of gas exchange, are continuously exposed to environmental stimuli, such as allergens, microbes, and pollutants. The development of the culture-independent technique for microbiological analysis, such as 16S rRNA sequencing, has uncovered that the lungs are not sterile and, in fact, colonized by diverse communities of microbiota. The function of intestinal microbiota in modulating mucosal homeostasis and defense has been widely studied; however, the potential function of lung microbiota in regulating immunity and homeostasis has just begun. Increasing evidence indicates the relevance of microbiota to lung homeostasis and disease. In this review, we describe the distribution and composition of microbiota in the respiratory system and discuss the potential function of lung microbiota in both health and acute/chronic lung disease. In addition, we also discuss the recent understanding of the gut-lung axis, because several studies have revealed that the immunological interaction among the gut, the lung, and the microbiota was involved in this issue.