Project description:To identify chromatin alterations by host-microbe interactions in cervicovaginal epithelial cells we performed ATAC-sequencing. We identified regions of chromatin that were altered in cervicovaginal epithelial cells after exposure to L. crispatus supernatant.
Project description:We developed an analysis pipeline that can extract microbial sequences from Spatial Transcriptomic (ST) data and assign taxonomic labels, generating a spatial microbial abundance matrix in addition to the default host expression matrix, enabling simultaneous analysis of host expression and microbial distribution. We called the pipeline Spatial Meta-transcriptome (SMT) and applied it on both human and murine intestinal sections and validated the spatial microbial abundance information with alternative assays. Biological insights were gained from this novel data that that demonstrated host-microbe interaction at various spatial scales. Finally, we tested experimental modification that can increase microbial capture while preserving host spatial expression quality and, by use of positive controls, quantitatively demonstrated the capture efficiency and recall of our methods. This proof of concept work demonstrates the feasibility of Spatial Meta-transcriptomic analysis, and paves the way for further experimental optimization and application.
Project description:Chronic rhinitis (CR) is a frustrating clinical syndrome in dogs and our understanding of the disease pathogenesis in is limited. Increasingly, host-microbe interactions are considered key drivers of clinical disease in sites of persistent mucosal inflammation such as the nasal and oral cavities. Therefore, we applied next generation sequencing tools to interrogate abnormalities present in the nose of dogs with CR and compared immune and microbiome profiles to those of healthy dogs. Host nasal cell transcriptomes were evaluated by RNA sequencing, while microbial communities were assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Correlation analysis was then used to identify significant interactions between nasal cell transcriptomes and the nasal microbiome and how these interactions were altered in animals with CR. Notably, we observed significant downregulation of multiple genes associated with ciliary function in dogs with CR, suggesting a previously undetected role for ciliary dysfunction in this syndrome. We also found significant upregulation of immune genes related to the TNF-a and interferon pathways. The nasal microbiome was also significantly altered in CR dogs, with overrepresentation of several potential pathobionts. Interactome analysis revealed significant correlations between bacteria in the genus Porphyromonas and the upregulated host inflammatory responses in dogs with CR, as well as defective ciliary function which was correlated with Streptococcus abundance. These findings provide new insights into host-microbe interactions in a canine model of CR and indicate the presence of potentially causal relationships between nasal pathobionts and the development of nasal inflammation and ciliary dysfunction.
Project description:The mechanistic role of the airway microbiome in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains largely unexplored. We present a landscape of airway microbe-host interactions in COPD through an in-depth profiling of the sputum metagenome, metabolome, host transcriptome and proteome from 99 COPD patients and 36 healthy individuals in China.
Project description:To elucidate the molecular pathways altered by host-microbe interactions in cervicovaginal epithelial cells we performed whole genome RNA-sequencing. We identified genes and functional pathways that were altered in cervicovaginal epithelial cells after exposure to G. vaginalis or L. crispatus or their supernatant.
Project description:Rosacea is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology. Our knowledge about an involvement of the adaptive immune system is very limited. We performed detailed transcriptome analysis, qRT-PCR, and quantitative immunohistochemistry on facial biopsies of rosacea patients, classified according to their clinical subtype. As controls, we used samples from healthy controls. Our study shows significant activation of the immune system in all subtypes of rosacea, characterizing erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR) already as a disease with significant influx of proinflammatory cells. The T cell response is dominated by Th1/Th17-polarized immune cells, as demonstrated by significant upregulation of IFNγ or IL-17, for example. Chemokine expression patterns support a Th1/Th17 polarization profile of the T cell response. Macrophages and mast cells are increased in all three subtypes of rosacea, while neutrophils reach a maximum in papulopustular rosacea. Our studies also provide evidence for activation of plasma cells with significant antibody production already in ETR, followed by a crescendo pattern towards phymatous rosacea. In sum, Th1/Th17 polarized inflammation and macrophage infiltration is an underestimated hallmark in all subtypes of rosacea. Therapies directly targeting the Th1/Th17 pathway are promising candidates in the future treatment of this skin disease.
Project description:Chronic diseases arise when pathophysiological processes achieve a steady state by self-reinforcing. Here, we explored the possibility of a self-reinforcement state in a common condition, chronic constipation, where alterations of the gut microbiota have been reported. The functional impact of the microbiota shifts on host physiology remains unclear, however we hypothesized that microbial communities adapted to slow gastrointestinal transit affect host functions in a way that reinforces altered transit, thereby maintaining the advantage for microbial self-selection. To test this, we examined the impact of pharmacologically (loperamide)-induced constipation (PIC) on the structural and functional profile of altered gut microbiota. PIC promoted changes in the gut microbiome, characterized by decreased representation of butyrate-producing Clostridiales, decreased cecal butyrate concentration and altered metabolic profiles of gut microbiota. PIC-associated gut microbiota also impacted colonic gene expression, suggesting this might be a basis for decreased gastrointestinal (GI) motor function. Introduction of PIC-associated cecal microbiota into germ-free (GF) mice significantly decreased GI transit time. Our findings therefore support the concept that chronic diseases like constipation are caused by disease-associated steady states, in this case, caused by reciprocating reinforcement of pathophysiological factors in host-microbe interactions. We used microarrays to detail the global gene expression profile in the proximal colon smooth muscle tissues of germ-free, conventionalized, or specific pathogen free mouse C57Bl/6 female and male specific pathogen free (SPF) mice were bred and housed in the animal care facility at the University of Chicago. Mice of 8–10 weeks of age were treated with 0.1% loperamide in the drinking water for 7 days. Age matched, germ-free (GF) C57Bl/6 mice were gavaged orally with cecal luminal contents harvested from control or loperamide-treated C57Bl/6 donor mice. Recipient mice were sacrificed 4 weeks post-colonization.
Project description:Rosacea is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology. Our knowledge about an involvement of the adaptive immune system is very limited. We performed detailed transcriptome analysis, qRT-PCR, and quantitative immunohistochemistry on facial biopsies of rosacea patients, classified according to their clinical subtype. As controls, we used samples from healthy controls. Our study shows significant activation of the immune system in all subtypes of rosacea, characterizing erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR) already as a disease with significant influx of proinflammatory cells. The T cell response is dominated by Th1/Th17-polarized immune cells, as demonstrated by significant upregulation of IFNγ or IL-17, for example. Chemokine expression patterns support a Th1/Th17 polarization profile of the T cell response. Macrophages and mast cells are increased in all three subtypes of rosacea, while neutrophils reach a maximum in papulopustular rosacea. Our studies also provide evidence for activation of plasma cells with significant antibody production already in ETR, followed by a crescendo pattern towards phymatous rosacea. In sum, Th1/Th17 polarized inflammation and macrophage infiltration is an underestimated hallmark in all subtypes of rosacea. Therapies directly targeting the Th1/Th17 pathway are promising candidates in the future treatment of this skin disease. Total of 58 chips. 19 patients and 10 healthy volunteers