Project description:Background: Humans with metabolic and inflammatory diseases frequently harbor lower levels of butyrate-producing bacteria in their gut. However, it is not known whether variation in the levels of these organisms is causally linked with disease development and whether diet modifies the impact of these bacteria on health. Results: We use germ-free apolipoprotein E-deficient mice colonized with synthetic microbial communities that differ in their capacity to generate butyrate to demonstrate that Roseburia intestinalis interacts with dietary components to (i) impact gene expression in the intestine, directing metabolism away from glycolysis and toward fatty acid utilization, (ii) improve intestinal barrier function, (iii) lower systemic inflammation and (iv) ameliorate atherosclerosis. Furthermore, intestinal administration of butyrate improves gut barrier function and reduces atherosclerosis development. Conclusions: Altogether, our results illustrate how modifiable diet-by-microbiota interactions impact cardiovascular disease, and suggest that interventions aimed at increasing the representation of butyrate-producing bacteria may provide protection against atherosclerosis.
Project description:BackgroundCrohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by intestinal immune dysfunction. Multiple factors, including gut dysbiosis, are involved in the pathogenesis of CD. However, the effect of commensal bacteria on controlling the inflammatory response in individuals with CD remains unclear.MethodsWe detected Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4, and TLR5 expression in Roseburia intestinalis (R. intestinalis)-treated mice with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis. Then, we quantified the signs of colonic inflammation, the proportion of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and the expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β in TLR-5-deficient (Tlr5-/-) mice, bone marrow chimera mice (generated using wild-type (WT) and Tlr5-/- mice), and anti-TSLP/anti-TGFβ-treated C57BL/6 mice with colitis induced by TNBS. In vitro, we used the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human intestinal epithelial cell line Caco-2 as an inflammatory colon cell model treated with or without the TLR5-siRNA intervention in the presence of R. intestinalis and incubated human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) with the supernatant of Caco-2 cells. Then, we cocultured human CD4+ T cells with the aforementioned DCs to determine the differentiation of Tregs. Additionally, samples from patients with CD were collected to analyse the correlation between TLR5/TSLP/TGFβ expression and the percentage of R. intestinalis.FindingsHere, we show that R. intestinalis inhibits the development of CD by increasing the differentiation of anti-inflammatory Tregs. Mechanistically, R. intestinalis stimulates TSLP production in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) through TLR5 but not TLR2 or TLR4. TSLP produced by IECs specifically induces the secretion of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and TGFβ from DCs, which is necessary for subsequent Treg differentiation. Consequently, the depletion of TLR5 (using Tlr5-/- mice) or inhibition of TSLP (using anti-TSLP neutralizing antibodies) attenuates the protective effect of R. intestinalis on experimental colitis in mice. Importantly, the expression of TSLP in patients with CD is positively correlated with the level of R. intestinalis.InterpretationThese findings reveal the previously unknown mechanism of R. intestinalis-mediated intestinal immune regulation, which may provide the basis for new therapeutic strategies for CD.FundingThis work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81670504 and 81970494), the Key Project of Research and Development Plan of Hunan Province (2019SK2041) and the Changsha Municipal Natural Science Foundation (kq2014258).
Project description:Humans with metabolic and inflammatory diseases frequently harbour lower levels of butyrate-producing bacteria in their gut. However, it is not known whether variation in the levels of these organisms is causally linked with disease development and whether diet modifies the impact of these bacteria on health. Here we show that a prominent gut-associated butyrate-producing bacterial genus (Roseburia) is inversely correlated with atherosclerotic lesion development in a genetically diverse mouse population. We use germ-free apolipoprotein E-deficient mice colonized with synthetic microbial communities that differ in their capacity to generate butyrate to demonstrate that Roseburia intestinalis interacts with dietary plant polysaccharides to: impact gene expression in the intestine, directing metabolism away from glycolysis and toward fatty acid utilization; lower systemic inflammation; and ameliorate atherosclerosis. Furthermore, intestinal administration of butyrate reduces endotoxaemia and atherosclerosis development. Together, our results illustrate how modifiable diet-by-microbiota interactions impact cardiovascular disease, and suggest that interventions aimed at increasing the representation of butyrate-producing bacteria may provide protection against atherosclerosis.
Project description:Strain Roseburia intestinalis TSDC19.2-1.1 (species Roseburia intestinalis) was isolated from the fecal microbiota of a USA female at time point zero (bacterial isolates were sequenced from this donor on day 0 and 47). The species name was assigned by genome clustering.
Project description:Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), has a complex etiology that may be associated with dysbiosis of the microbiota. Previously, our study revealed significant loss of Roseburia intestinalis from the gut of untreated patients with CD, and that R. intestinalis exerted anti‑inflammatory functions in TNBS‑induced colitis; however, the function of R. intestinalis supernatant is unknown. Therefore, LPS‑induced macrophages, including RAW264.7 macrophages and bone marrow‑derived macrophages were treated with R. intestinalis supernatant. The results indicated that R. intestinalis supernatant suppressed expression of interleukin (IL)‑6 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) by macrophages. Additionally, these findings were further verified in vivo in DSS‑ and TNBS‑induced mouse models of colitis. It was observed that R. intestinalis supernatant ameliorated IBD colitis by reducing the number of inflammatory macrophages and Th17 cells in the colon, and by downregulating the expression of IL‑6 and STAT3. Finally, the non‑protein components of R. intestinalis supernatant were examined using gas chromatography‑mass spectrometry analysis and identified the presence of short‑chain fatty acids. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that R. intestinalis supernatant may regulate immune responses and ameliorate colitis.
Project description:β-Mannans are plant cell wall polysaccharides that are commonly found in human diets. However, a mechanistic understanding into the key populations that degrade this glycan is absent, especially for the dominant Firmicutes phylum. Here, we show that the prominent butyrate-producing Firmicute Roseburia intestinalis expresses two loci conferring metabolism of β-mannans. We combine multi-“omic” analyses and detailed biochemical studies to comprehensively characterize loci-encoded proteins that are involved in β-mannan capturing, importation, de-branching and degradation into monosaccharides. In mixed cultures, R. intestinalis shares the available β-mannan with Bacteroides ovatus, demonstrating that the apparatus allows coexistence in a competitive environment. In murine experiments, β-mannan selectively promotes beneficial gut bacteria, exemplified by increased R. intestinalis, and reduction of mucus-degraders. Our findings highlight that R. intestinalis is a primary degrader of this dietary fiber and that this metabolic capacity could be exploited to selectively promote key members of the healthy microbiota using β-mannan-based therapeutic interventions.
Project description:Bacterial growth often alters the environment, which in turn can impact interspecies interactions among bacteria. Here, we used an in vitro batch system containing mucin beads to emulate the dynamic host environment and to study its impact on the interactions between two abundant and prevalent human gut bacteria, the primary fermenter Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and the butyrate producer Roseburia intestinalis. By combining machine learning and flow cytometry, we found that the number of viable B. thetaiotaomicron cells decreases with glucose consumption due to acid production, while R. intestinalis survives post-glucose depletion by entering a slow growth mode. Both species attach to mucin beads, but only viable cell counts of B. thetaiotaomicron increase significantly. The number of viable co-culture cells varies significantly over time compared to those of monocultures. A combination of targeted metabolomics and RNA-seq showed that the slow growth mode of R. intestinalis represents a diauxic shift towards acetate and lactate consumption, whereas B. thetaiotaomicron survives glucose depletion and low pH by foraging on mucin sugars. In addition, most of the mucin monosaccharides we tested inhibited the growth of R. intestinalis but not B. thetaiotaomicron. We encoded these causal relationships in a kinetic model, which reproduced the observed dynamics. In summary, we explored how R. intestinalis and B. thetaiotaomicron respond to nutrient scarcity and how this affects their dynamics. We highlight the importance of understanding bacterial metabolic strategies to effectively modulate microbial dynamics in changing conditions.