THE GUT MICROBIOTA IS A COMMUNITY OF DIFFERENT BACTERIAGROUPS THAT LIVE IN OUR GUTS AND HAVE A LARGE IMPACT ON OUR HEALTH. IT IS LINKED TO SEVERAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. CHANGES IN MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION CAN RESULT IN DISEASE. OBESITY IS AN EXAMPLE OF A DISEASE THAT CAN PRECIPITATE FROM A CHANGED MICROBIOTA. A HIGH FAT (HF) OR HIGH CALORIE DIET CAN NEGATIVELY CHANGE THE GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF DIFFERENT GROUPS OF BACTERIA PRESENT IN THE MICROBIOTA. WHEN THE MICROBIOTA IS COMPOSED OF MANY DIFFERENT BACTERIAL GROUPS IT MEANS THE DIVERSITY IS HIGH AND IT IS HEALTHY. WHEN THE NUMBER OF DIFFERENT BACTERIAL GROUPS DECREASE, THEN IT MEANS DIVERSITY IS LOWERED AND THIS IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH GOOD HEALTH.URTICA DIOICA L (UT) GROWS WIDELY IN NORTH AMERICA AND IS USED IN DIFFERENT INTERNATIONAL CULTURES AS A VEGETABLE. IN OUR PRELIMINARY STUDY, UT VEGETABLE PREVENTED HIGH FAT DIET INDUCED FAT ACCUMULATION AND INSULIN RESISTANCE. FURTHERMORE, IT PREVENTED HF DIET INDUCED REDUCTION IN HEALTH AND DIVERSITY OF GUT BACTERIA AND ENHANCED THE PROLIFERATION OF BACTERIAL SPECIES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HEALTH, PARTICULARLY WEIGHT REDUCTION AND GUT HEALTH. THE VEGETABLE ALSO INDUCED CHANGES IN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. ABOUT 80% OF OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM IS LOCATED IN THE GUT. THE BACTERIA AFFECT HOW THIS IMMUNE SYSTEM WORKS TO PROTECT US AGAINST VARIOUS DISEASES.WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE EFFECTS OF UT ON THE MICROBIOTA INFLUENCES THE ABSORPTION OF DIETARY FAT IN THE SMALL INTESTINES AND THEREFORE THE AMOUNT OF FAT THAT ACCUMULATES IN FAT TISSUE AND LIVER. WE FURTHER HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE EFFECTS OF UT ON THE COMPOSITION OF BACTERIAL GROUPS IN THE GUT ARE BEHIND ITS IMPACT ON FAT ACCUMULATION I.E REDUCTION IN OBESITY. TO TEST THESE HYPOTHESES, IN AIM 1, WE WILL FEED MICE DIETS WITH OR WITHOUT UT. WE WILL ANALYZE THE COMPOSITION AND DIVERSITY OF GUT MICROBIOTA IN THE SMALL INTESTINE AND AMOUNT OF FAT ABSORBED. IN AIM 2 WE SHALL STUDY THE EFFECT OF UT ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND HOW THIS IS CONNECTED TO SHAPING THE BACTERIA COMPOSITION. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF THIS PROJECT IS GENERATING NEW KNOWLEDGE ON HOW UT BENEFITS THE HOST IN TERMS OF A HEALTHIER GUT BACTERIA COMMUNITY, A HEALTHIER IMMUNE SYSTEM AND PREVENTION OF OBESITY.WE WILL DISSEMINATETHIS INFORMATION TO HEALTH SCIENTISTS, NUTRITION SCIENTISTS, THE FOOD INDUSTRY AND THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR WITH THE AIM OF PROMOTING UT OR INTRODUCING IT AS A SPECIALITY AGRICULTURAL CROP AND VEGETABLE WITH SIGNIFICANT HEALTH BENEFITS.