MTOR and colitis: Likewise, although the scientific understanding of P. merdae’s role in the human gut is limited, its ability to degrade intestinal branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) (Qiao et al., 2022), coupled with the known role of BCAAs in exacerbating colitis symptoms via the mTOR/p70S6K pathway in mice (Huang et al., 2024), suggests that P. merdae may be a promising therapeutic target for IBD.