Project description:Purpose: The goal of this study is to determine how BFT2 alters chromatin accessibility at relatively early time points in colon epithelial cells, and to correlate the changes in chromatin accessibility with changes in gene expression, transcription factor binding sites, and the location of common single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in colorectal cancer. Methods: HT29/C1 cells were plated at low density and allowed to grow for 4 days at 37C and 10% CO2. Afterwards, cells were either left untreated or treated with 100ng/mL BFT2 for 24 or 48 hours. After the specified time point, cells were counted and DNA was collected in order to prepare ATAC-seq libraries. ATAC-seq library was prepared as outlined by Buenrostro et al. (2013). The 4nM pooled ATAC-seq library was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq. For each sample, three biological replicates were sequenced. After sequencing, the data was analyzed using the pipeline developed by the Kundaje lab, as outlined on ENCODE (Lee et al., 2016). Briefly, reads were trimmed, aligned and filtered using Bowtie2, and peaks were called using MACS2. The three replicate peak files were combined in order to create one consensus file for each treatment condition using an irreproducible discovery rate (IDR) threshold of 0.1. For all analyses, the “optimal set” consensus file was used. Results: Our data show that several genes are differentially expressed after BFT treatment and these changes correlate with changes in chromatin accessibility. This correlation is mediated by an increase in chromatin accessibility at particular transcription factor binding sites. Also, sites of increased chromatin accessibility are associated with a lower frequency of common single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in CRC and with a higher frequency of common differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in CRC. Conclusions: This study adds critical knowledge to our understanding of host-microbe interactions in the gut. While scientists have begun to analyze the effect of specific bacteria on the epigenome of colon epithelial cells, to date, no other studies have surveyed the effect of a specific bacterial toxin on chromatin accessibility in colon epithelial cells. We conclude that BFT2 alters chromatin accessibility in colon epithelial cells, and that these changes correlate with subsequent changes in gene expression. Also, sites of BFT2-induced increased chromatin accessibility are associated with a lower frequency of common single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in CRC and with a higher frequency of common differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in CRC.
Project description:Purpose: The goal of this study is to determine how BFT2 alters chromatin accessibility at relatively early time points in colon epithelial cells, and to correlate the changes in chromatin accessibility with changes in gene expression, transcription factor binding sites, and the location of common single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in colorectal cancer. Methods: HT29/C1 cells were plated at low density and allowed to grow for 4 days at 37C and 10% CO2. Afterwards, cells were either left untreated or treated with 100ng/mL BFT2 for 24 or 48 hours. After the specified time point, cells were counted and RNA was collected in order to prepare RNA-seq libraries. RNA was collected using the Qiagen RNeasy mini kit. mRNA was enriched using the NEBNext Poly(A) mRNA Magnetic Isolation Module. Afterwards, a non-directional RNA-seq library was constructed using the NEBnext Ultra RNA Library Prep kit from Illumina. The 2nM pooled RNA-seq library was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq. Results: After sequencing, Kallisto was used to perform pseudoalignment of the raw RNA-seq data. Then, Sleuth was used to quantify gene expression and perform differential expression analyses. After treatment with BFT2 for 24 hours, 70 genes were differentially expressed (P-value < 0.01). Of these genes, 41 showed a decrease in gene expression, while 29 showed an increase in gene expression. After BFT2 treatment for 48 hours, we found only 16 differentially expressed genes (P-value < 0.01); 3 showed a decrease in gene expression and 13 showed an increase in gene expression. Conclusions: This study adds critical knowledge to our understanding of host-microbe interactions in the gut. While scientists have begun to analyze the effect of specific bacteria on the epigenome of colon epithelial cells, to date, no other studies have surveyed the effect of a specific bacterial toxin on chromatin accessibility in colon epithelial cells. We conclude that BFT2 alters chromatin accessibility in colon epithelial cells, and that these changes correlate with subsequent changes in gene expression. Also, sites of BFT2-induced increased chromatin accessibility are associated with a lower frequency of common single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in CRC and with a higher frequency of common differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in CRC.
Project description:The factors that govern the retention and abundance of specific microbial lineages within a developing intestinal microbiota remain poorly defined. Human milk oligosaccharides consumed by nursing infnats pass undigested to the distal gut where they may be consumed by microbes. We investigated the transcriptional response of Bacterides fragilis, a prominent gut resident, to the presence of HMOs.
Project description:Gut-educated IgA-secreting plasma cells that disseminate beyond the mucosa and into systemic tissues can help prevent disease in several contexts. Here we show, the commensal bacteria Bacteroides fragilis (Bf), is an efficient inducer of systemic IgA responses. The generation of bone marrow IgA plasma cells and high levels of serum IgA specific to Bf requires robust intestinal colonization. Bf-specific IgA responses were severely diminished in mice lacking Peyer’s patches, but not mice lacking a cecal patch. Colonization resulted in few changes in the host transcriptional profile in the gut, suggesting a commensal relationship. High levels of Bf-specific serum IgA, but not IgG, provided protection from peritoneal abscess formation in a bowel perforation model of Bf dissemination. These findings demonstrate a critical role for bacterial colonization and Peyer’s patches in the induction of robust systemic IgA responses that confer protection from bacterial dissemination originating from the gut.
Project description:The factors that govern the retention and abundance of specific microbial lineages within a developing intestinal microbiota remain poorly defined. Human milk oligosaccharides consumed by nursing infnats pass undigested to the distal gut where they may be consumed by microbes. We investigated the transcriptional response of Bacterides fragilis, a prominent gut resident, to the presence of HMOs. In vitro transcriptional profiles of Bacteroides fragilis obtained from biological duplicate cultures taken at middle log phase in minimal media glucose (MM-Glu) and in minimal media with human milk oligosaccharides (MM-HMO).
Project description:The idea was to examine the role of OxyR in control of the oxidative stress response of B. fragilis when exposed to either atmospheric oxygen, 5% oxygen atmosphere, or hydrogen peroxide Keywords: stress response
Project description:The phylum Bacteroidetes is a major component of the human gut microbiota which has a broad impact on the development and physiology of its host, and a potential role in a wide range of disease syndromes. The predominance of Bacteroidetes and the genus Bacteroides in the distal gut is due in large part to the expansion of paralogous gene clusters, termed Polysaccharide Utilization Loci (PULs), dedicated to the uptake and catabolism of host derived and dietary polysaccharides. It is generally thought that the diversity of PULs is key to Bacteroides successful competition for nutrients in the gut environment. The nutritive value of the available polysaccharides varies greatly and thus their utilization is hierarchical and strictly controlled. A typical PUL includes regulatory genes that control expression in response to the presence of specific glycan substrates. However the existence of additional regulatory mechanisms has been predicted to explain phenomena such as the hierarchical control, catabolite repression, and the fine tuning of gene expression to match catabolic activity. Using Bacteroides fragilis as a model organism, this report describes a previously unknown layer of regulatory control in which cis-encoded antisense small RNAs (sRNA) act as repressors of the PULs’ catabolic genes. Nearly 30% of B. fragilis PULs are subject to this type of sRNA control and these PULs tend to be more closely linked to the utilization of host-derived glycans than dietary polysaccharides. The findings described here indicate the presence of a global control mechanism that underlies the known regulatory circuits which modulate PUL expression in response to substrate availability, and hence provide novel insight into regulation of the gut Bacteroidetes physiology.
Project description:The phylum Bacteroidetes is a major component of the human gut microbiota which has a broad impact on the development and physiology of its host, and a potential role in a wide range of disease syndromes1-3. The predominance of Bacteroidetes and the genus Bacteroides in the distal gut is due in large part to the expansion of paralogous gene clusters, termed Polysaccharide Utilization Loci (PULs), dedicated to the uptake and catabolism of host derived and dietary polysaccharides4,5. It is generally thought that the diversity of PULs is key to Bacteroides successful competition for nutrients in the gut environment6. The nutritive value of the available polysaccharides varies greatly and thus their utilization is hierarchical and strictly controlled. A typical PUL includes regulatory genes that control expression in response to the presence of specific glycan substrates. However the existence of additional regulatory mechanisms has been predicted to explain phenomena such as the hierarchical control, catabolite repression, and the fine tuning of gene expression to match catabolic activity7-9. Using Bacteroides fragilis as a model organism, this report describes a previously unknown layer of regulatory control in which cis-encoded antisense small RNAs (sRNA) act as repressors of the PULs’ catabolic genes. Nearly 30% of B. fragilis PULs are subject to this type of sRNA control and these PULs tend to be more closely linked to the utilization of host-derived glycans than dietary polysaccharides. The findings described here indicate the presence of a global control mechanism that underlies the known regulatory circuits which modulate PUL expression in response to substrate availability, and hence provide novel insight into regulation of the gut Bacteroidetes physiology.
Project description:The phylum Bacteroidetes is a major component of the human gut microbiota which has a broad impact on the development and physiology of its host, and a potential role in a wide range of disease syndromes1-3. The predominance of Bacteroidetes and the genus Bacteroides in the distal gut is due in large part to the expansion of paralogous gene clusters, termed Polysaccharide Utilization Loci (PULs), dedicated to the uptake and catabolism of host derived and dietary polysaccharides4,5. It is generally thought that the diversity of PULs is key to Bacteroides successful competition for nutrients in the gut environment6. The nutritive value of the available polysaccharides varies greatly and thus their utilization is hierarchical and strictly controlled. A typical PUL includes regulatory genes that control expression in response to the presence of specific glycan substrates. However the existence of additional regulatory mechanisms has been predicted to explain phenomena such as the hierarchical control, catabolite repression, and the fine tuning of gene expression to match catabolic activity7-9. Using Bacteroides fragilis as a model organism, this report describes a previously unknown layer of regulatory control in which cis-encoded antisense small RNAs (sRNA) act as repressors of the PULsâ catabolic genes. Nearly 30% of B. fragilis PULs are subject to this type of sRNA control and these PULs tend to be more closely linked to the utilization of host-derived glycans than dietary polysaccharides. The findings described here indicate the presence of a global control mechanism that underlies the known regulatory circuits which modulate PUL expression in response to substrate availability, and hence provide novel insight into regulation of the gut Bacteroidetes physiology. This is a 4 chip study with 8 technical replicates on each chip. This was an in vitro, exploratory study to determine if mutation or overexpression of a sRNA associated with the Don locus would affect gene expression. In vitro cultures were grown in defined media with mucin glycans as the sole carbon source. The two chips representing growth of the wild type strain (638R) on mucin glycans were also used in a related study GSE53883 (GSM1303101 and GSM1303102).