Figure 2.

Illustration of interactions between plant cells, microbiota, and the host epithelium. Plant cells are encapsulated by the fibrous cell wall, which is a microbiota-selective nutrient. The cell wall also serves as a transport vehicle for the additional plant cell contents as well as a vehicle for nutrients to be shared between the microbiota and the host upon release from its plant cell structure. The microbiota secretes glycosidases, peptidases, and lipases, thereby releasing molecular nutrients for transport into epithelial or bacterial cells.