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Endothelial sensing of AHR ligands regulates intestinal barrier immunity [AHR KO RNA-seq]

ABSTRACT: The blood and lymphatic vasculature is lined by functionally specialised endothelial cells (ECs). In the intestine, ECs act as an essential physical barrier, controlling nutrient transport, facilitating tissue immunosurveillance, and coordinating angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis to ensure appropriate tissue perfusion and drainage. Conversely, endothelial maladaptation can lead to pathological angiogenesis and the perpetuation of inflammation in chronic inflammatory diseases. However, whether enteric ECs actively engage in the regulation of intestinal homeostasis and pathology through integration of environmental cues is currently unknown. Here, we show that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, acts as critical node for EC-sensing of dietary and microbial metabolites. We first established a comprehensive single-cell endothelial atlas of the mouse small intestine uncovering the cellular complexity and functional heterogeneity of blood and lymphatic ECs, identifying transcriptional networks and putative biological roles across endothelial subtypes. Analyses of AHR mediated responses at single-cell resolution identified tissue-protective transcriptional signatures and regulatory networks promoting quiescence and vasculoprotection. Endothelial AHR-deficiency in mice resulted in cellular activation, proliferation, and initiation of angiogenic pathways disrupting tissue homeostasis. In human ECs, AHR signalling promoted quiescence through cell cycle arrest and tempered endothelial inflammatory responses. Together, our data provide a comprehensive dissection of the impact of environmental sensing across the spectrum of enteric endothelia, demonstrating that endothelial AHR signalling serves to promote homeostasis and prevent aberrant inflammatory responses at the intestinal barrier.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE224806 | GEO | 2023/07/12

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Neural control of visceral organ function is essential for homeostasis and health. Intestinal peristalsis is critical for digestive physiology and host defence and is often dysregulated in gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Luminal factors, such as diet and microbiota regulate neurogenic programs of gut motility, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here we show that the transcription factor Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) functions as a biosensor in intestinal neural circuits linking their functional output to the microbial environment of the gut lumen. Using nuclear RNA sequencing of mouse enteric neurons representing distinct intestinal segments and microbiota states, we demonstrate that the intrinsic neural networks of the colon exhibit unique transcriptional profiles controlled by the combined effects of host genetic programmes and microbial colonisation. Microbiota-induced expression of AhR in neurons of the distal gastrointestinal tract enables them to respond to the luminal environment and induce expression of neuron-specific effector mechanisms. Neuron-specific deletion of Ahr or constitutive overexpression of its negative feedback regulator CYP1A1, results in reduced peristaltic activity of the colon, similar to that observed in microbiota-depleted mice. Finally, expression of Ahr in enteric neurons of antibiotic-treated mice partially restores intestinal motility. Taken together, our experiments identify AhR signalling in enteric neurons as a regulatory node that integrates the luminal environment with the physiological output of intestinal neural circuits towards gut homeostasis and health. The enteric nervous system (ENS) encompasses the intrinsic neural networks of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which regulate most aspects of intestinal physiology, including peristalsis. In addition to host-specific genetic programmes, microbiota and diet have emerged as critical regulators of gut tissue physiology and changes in the microbial composition of the lumen often accompany GI disorders. We found that gut environmental sensor Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is induced in colonic neurons in response to microbiota colonisation and regulates intestinal peristalsis in an AhR ligand-dependent manner. In this experiment, we used RNA sequencing to identify genes regulated in mouse colonic neurons by AhR activation.

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Endothelial sensing of AHR ligands regulates intestinal barrier immunity [AHR KO RNA-seq]

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