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Mucus production, host-microbiome interactions, hormone sensitivity, and innate immune responses modeled in human cervix chips

ABSTRACT: Modulation of mucus production by the human endo- and ecto-cervical epithelium by steroid hormones and associated interactions with commensal microbiome play a central role in the physiology and pathophysiology of the female reproductive tract. However, most of our knowledge about these interactions is based on results from animal studies or in vitro models that fail to faithfully mimic the mucosal environment of the human cervix. Here we describe microfluidic organ-on-a-chip (Organ Chip) models of the human cervical mucosa that recreate the cervical epithelial-stromal interface with a functional epithelial barrier and produce abundant mucus that has compositional, biophysical, and hormone-responsive properties similar to the living cervix. Application of continuous fluid flow to chips lined primary human cervical epithelial cells from a commercial source that contained a mixture of primary human ecto- and endo-cervical epithelial cells promoted preferential expression of the ecto-cervical phenotype, whereas use of periodic flow including periods of stasis induced endo-cervical specialization. When the periodic flow Cervix Chips were co-cultured with living Lactobacillus crispatus and Gardnerella vaginalis bacterial communities to respectively mimic the effects of human host interactions with optimal (healthy) or non-optimal (dysbiotic) microbiome associated with an ascending infection in the female reproductive tract, significant differences in tissue innate immune responses, barrier function, cell viability and protein profile, and mucus composition were detected reminiscent of those observed in vivo. Thus, these Organ Chip models of human cervix provide a physiologically relevant experimental in vitro model to study cervical mucus physiology and its role in human host-microbiome interactions as well as a potential preclinical testbed for development of therapeutic interventions to enhance women's health.

INSTRUMENT(S): Orbitrap Exploris 240

ORGANISM(S): Lactobacillus (ncbitaxon:1578) Gardnerella Vaginalis (ncbitaxon:2702) Homo Sapiens (ncbitaxon:9606)

SUBMITTER: Don Ingber

PROVIDER: MSV000093636 | MassIVE | Mon Dec 11 12:34:00 GMT 2023

REPOSITORIES: MassIVE

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Project description:Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients exhibit compromised intestinal barrier function, enhanced inflammation, and increased cancer risk, with symptoms sometimes being exacerbated in women during pregnancy. To investigate the IBD phenotype and disease progression in human intestine, we leveraged organ-on-a-chip (Organ Chip) technology to engineer human Colon Chips lined by homotypic or heterotypic recombinants of intestinal epithelium interfaced with stromal fibroblasts isolated from Healthy or IBD patient-derived colon resections. Chips created with both epithelial and stromal cells from the same ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease patient showed increased IBD-associated gene pathway activation, elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, reduced mucus layer thickness, increased intestinal barrier permeability, compared to homotypic Healthy Colon Chips. When heterotypic tissue recombinants were created, the IBD stromal fibroblasts induced the IBD phenotype in healthy epithelium, and healthy colonic fibroblasts partially reduced inflammation in the IBD epithelium. Using this system, we discovered that peristalsis-like mechanical deformations directly impact colon tissue physiology by increasing mucin gene expression, mucus thickness, and barrier permeability in both Healthy and IBD Chips, and that they only stimulate a fibrotic response in IBD Chips. We also found that both inflammation and fibrosis were accentuated in IBD Chips created with cells from a female patient that were exposed to pregnancy-associated hormones. Interestingly, exposure to a carcinogen (N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea) for 3 weeks in vitro induced histological changes and gene duplication in the IBD Chips, but not in the Healthy Chips. These data suggest that the stroma plays a key role in driving inflammation and disease progression in IBD patients and that human Organ Chip technology may represent a new preclinical tool to gain insight into these mechanisms as well as to identify novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutics.

Project description:The intestinal mucosal barrier is a dynamic system that allows nutrient uptake, stimulates healthy microbe-host interactions, and prevents invasion by pathogens. The mucosa consists of epithelial cells connected by cellular junctions that regulate the passage of nutrients covered by a mucus layer that plays an important role in host-microbiome interactions. Mimicking the intestinal mucosa for in vitro assays, in particular the generation of a viscous mucus layer, has proven to be challenging. Here, we present a novel in vitro intestinal culture model that produces a robust mucus layer and is based on the widely used intestinal Caco-2 cell line. We investigated the effects of air-liquid interface (ALI) culturing compared to liquid-liquid interface (LLI) on Caco-2 cells grown under low-glucose conditions in Transwell plates. In addition, we determined the impact of vasointestinal peptide (VIP) on mucus secretion, epithelial barrier properties and microbe-mucus interactions. A combination of ALI culturing with VIP addition led to formation of a robust mucus layer on the apical surface of the Caco-2 confluent layer in which the intestinal secreted mucin MUC2 was a major component. RNAseq analysis demonstrated upregulation of unique gene clusters in response to ALI and VIP conditions, but the ALI-VIP combination treatment resulted in a significant upregulation of multiple mucin genes and proteins including MUC2, MUC13 and MUC17. Expression of tight junction proteins was significantly altered in the ALI-VIP condition leading to increased permeability to small molecules, more closely reflecting an intestinal epithelium permissive for nutrient uptake. In infection experiments with commensal Lactobacillus plantarum, pathogenic Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis, or enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), the ALI-VIP mucus layer separated the bacteria from the underlying epithelium. In conclusion, ALI-VIP culture of Caco-2 cells provides an attractive in vitro model to study the function of the intestinal mucosal barrier and pathogenic and commensal microbe-host interactions.

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Mucus production, host-microbiome interactions, hormone sensitivity, and innate immune responses modeled in human cervix chips

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