Consumption of diets rich in fibers has been associated with several beneficial effects on gastrointestinal health. However, detailed studies on the molecular effects of fibers in colon are limited. In this study we investigated and compared the influence of five different fibers on the mucosal transcriptome, and luminal microbiota and SCFA concentrations in murine colon. Mice were fed diets enriched with fibers that differed in carbohydrate composition, namely inulin (IN), oligofructose (FOS), arabinoxylan (AX), guar gum (GG), resistant starch (RS) or a control diet (corn starch) for 10 days. Gene expression profiling revealed the regulation of specific, but also overlapping sets of epithelial genes by each fiber, which on a functional level were mainly linked to cell cycle and various metabolic pathways including fatty acid oxidation, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and electron transport chain. In addition, the transcription factor PPAR was predicted to be a prominent upstream regulator of these processes. Microbiota profiles were distinct per dietary fiber, but the fibers IN, FOS, AX and GG induced a common change in microbial groups. All dietary fibers, except resistant starch, increased SCFA concentrations but to a different extent. Multivariate data integration revealed strong correlations between the expression of genes involved in energy metabolism and the relative abundance of bacteria belonging to the group of Clostridium cluster XIVa, that are known butyrate producers. These findings illustrate the potential of multivariate data analysis to unravel simple relationships in complex systems.
Comparison of the effects of five dietary fibers on mucosal transcriptional profiles, and luminal microbiota composition and SCFA concentrations in murine colon.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesAnalysis of primary human bronchial epithelial cells grown in air liquid interface, exposed in vitro to whole tobacco cigarette smoke (48 puffs, 48 minutes) and electronic cigarette aerosol (400 puffs, 200 minutes). Electronic cigarette exposures included two flavors (menthol, tobacco) both with, and without nicotine.
Molecular Impact of Electronic Cigarette Aerosol Exposure in Human Bronchial Epithelium.
Specimen part
View SamplesProbiotic bacteria, specific representatives of bacterial species that are a common part of the human microbiota, are proposed to deliver health benefits to the consumer by modulation of intestinal function via largely unknown molecular mechanisms. To explore in vivo mucosal responses of healthy adults to probiotics, we obtained transcriptomes in an intervention study following a double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over design. In the mucosa of the proximal small intestine of healthy volunteers, probiotic strains from the species Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei and L. rhamnosus each induced differential gene regulatory networks and pathways in the human mucosa. Comprehensive analyses revealed that these transcriptional networks regulate major basal mucosal processes, and uncovered remarkable similarity to response profiles obtained for specific bioactive molecules and drugs. This study elucidates how intestinal mucosa of healthy humans perceive different probiotics and provides avenues for rationally designed tests of clinical applications.
Human mucosal in vivo transcriptome responses to three lactobacilli indicate how probiotics may modulate human cellular pathways.
Specimen part
View SamplesColorectal cancer risk is associated with diets high in red meat. Heme, the pigment of red meat, induces cytotoxicity of colonic contents and elicits epithelial damage and compensatory hyperproliferation, leading to hyperplasia. Here we explore the possible causal role of the gut microbiota in heme-induced hyperproliferation. To this end, mice were fed a purified control or heme diet (0.5 mol/g heme) with or without broad-spectrum antibiotics for 14 d. Heme-induced hyperproliferation was shown to depend on the presence of the gut microbiota, because hyperproliferation was completely eliminated by antibiotics, although heme-induced luminal cytotoxicity was sustained in these mice. Colon mucosa transcriptomics revealed that antibiotics block heme-induced differential expression of oncogenes, tumor suppressors, and cell turnover genes, implying that antibiotic treatment prevented the heme-dependent cytotoxic micelles to reach the epithelium. Our results indicate that this occurs because antibiotics reinforce the mucus barrier by eliminating sulfide-producing bacteria and mucin-degrading bacteria (e.g., Akkermansia). Sulfide potently reduces disulfide bonds and can drive mucin denaturation and microbial access to the mucus layer. This reduction results in formation of trisulfides that can be detected in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, trisulfides can serve as a novel marker of colonic mucolysis and thus as a proxy for mucus barrier reduction. In feces, antibiotics drastically decreased trisulfides but increased mucin polymers that can be lysed by sulfide. We conclude that the gut microbiota is required for heme-induced epithelial hyperproliferation and hyperplasia because of the capacity to reduce mucus barrier function.
Gut microbiota facilitates dietary heme-induced epithelial hyperproliferation by opening the mucus barrier in colon.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesMolecular adaptation of the intestinal mucosa occurs during microbial conventionalization to maintain a balanced immune response. However, the genetic regulation of such adaptation is obscure. Here, combined analysis of germ free and conventionalized mice revealed that the major molecular adaptations were initiated at day 4 of conventionalization with a strong induction of innate immune functions followed by stimulation of adaptive immune functions. We identified central regulatory genes and reconstructed a common regulatory network that appeared to be sufficient to regulate the dynamic adaptation of the intestinal mucosa to the colonizing microbiota. The majority of the genes within this regulatory network play roles in mucosal inflammatory diseases in mouse and human. We propose that the identified central regulatory network may serve as a genetic signature for control of intestinal homeostasis in healthy mice and may help to unravel the genetic basis of pathway dysregulation in human intestinal inflammatory diseases.
Temporal and spatial interplay of microbiota and intestinal mucosa drive establishment of immune homeostasis in conventionalized mice.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesSome commensal bacteria stimulate the immune system but do not present specific antigenicity. Such adjuvant effects have been reported for the bacterial species Lactobacillus plantarum. To study in vivo human responses to L. plantarum, a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study was performed. Healthy adults were provided preparations of living and heat-killed L. plantarum bacteria, biopsies were taken from the intestinal mucosa and altered transcriptional profiles were analysed. Transcriptional profiles of human epithelia displayed striking differences upon exposure to living L. plantarum bacteria harvested at different growth phases. Modulation of NF-B-dependent pathways was central among the major altered cellular responses. This unique in vivo study shows which cellular pathways are associated with the induction of immune tolerance in mucosal tissues towards common adjuvanticity possessing lactobacilli.
Differential NF-kappaB pathways induction by Lactobacillus plantarum in the duodenum of healthy humans correlating with immune tolerance.
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View SamplesWe studied the effect of dietary fat type, varying in polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio's (P/S) on development of metabolic syndrome. C57Bl/6J mice were fed purified high-fat diets (45E% fat) containing palm oil (HF-PO; P/S 0.4), olive oil (HF-OO; P/S 1.1) or safflower oil (HF-SO; P/S 7.8) for 8 weeks. A low-fat palm oil diet (LF-PO; 10E% fat) was used as a reference. Additionally, we analyzed diet-induced changes in gut microbiota composition and mucosal gene expression. The HF-PO diet induced a higher body weight gain and liver triglyceride content compared to the HF-OO, HF-SO or LF-PO diet. In the intestine, the HF-PO diet reduced microbial diversity and increased the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. Although this fits a typical obesity profile, our data clearly indicate that an overflow of the HF-PO diet to the distal intestine, rather than obesity itself, is the main trigger for these gut microbiota changes. A HF-PO diet-induced elevation of lipid metabolism-related genes in the distal small intestine confirmed the overflow of palm oil to the distal intestine. Some of these lipid metabolism-related genes were previously already associated with the metabolic syndrome. In conclusion, our data indicate that saturated fat (HF-PO) has a more stimulatory effect on weight gain and hepatic lipid accumulation than unsaturated fat (HF-OO and HF-SO). The overflow of fat to the distal intestine on the HF-PO diet induced changes in gut microbiota composition and mucosal gene expression. We speculate that both are directly or indirectly contributive to the saturated fat-induced development of obesity and hepatic steatosis.
Saturated fat stimulates obesity and hepatic steatosis and affects gut microbiota composition by an enhanced overflow of dietary fat to the distal intestine.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesColon cancer is a major cause of cancer deaths in Western countries and is associated with diets high in red meat. Heme, the iron-porphyrin pigment of red meat, induces cytotoxicity of gut contents which injures surface cells leading to compensatory hyperproliferation of crypt cells. This hyperproliferation results in epithelial hyperplasia which increases the risk of colon cancer. In humans, a high red-meat diet increases Bacteroides spp in feces. Therefore, we simultaneously investigated the effects of dietary heme on colonic microbiota and on the host mucosa of mice. Whole genome microarrays showed that heme injured the colonic surface epithelium and induced hyperproliferation by changing the surface to crypt signaling. Using 16S rRNA phylogenetic microarrays, we investigated whether bacteria play a role in this changed signaling. Heme increased Bacteroidetes and decreased Firmicutes in colonic contents. This shift was most likely caused by a selective susceptibility of Gram-positive bacteria to heme cytotoxic fecal water, which is not observed for Gram-negative bacteria, allowing expansion of the Gram-negative community. The increased amount of Gram-negative bacteria most probably increased LPS exposure to colonocytes, however, there is no appreciable immune response detected in the heme-fed mice. There was no functional change in the sensing of the bacteria by the mucosa, as changes in inflammation pathways and Toll- like receptor signaling were not detected. This unaltered host-microbe cross-talk indicates that the changes in microbiota did not play a causal role in the observed hyperproliferation and hyperplasia.
Dietary heme alters microbiota and mucosa of mouse colon without functional changes in host-microbe cross-talk.
Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesPreviously, we showed that dietary heme injured the colonic surface epithelium and induced hyperproliferation by changing the surface to crypt signaling. In this study we investigated whether bacteria play a role in this changed signaling. Dietary heme increased the Bacteroidetes and decreased the Firmicutes in colonic content. This shift was caused by a selective susceptibility of Gram-positive bacteria to the heme cytotoxic fecal waters, which is not observed for Gram-negative bacteria allowing expansion of the Gram-negative community. The increased amount of Gram-negative bacteria increased LPS exposure to colonocytes, however, there is no appreciable immune response detected in the heme-fed mice. There were no signs of sensing of the bacteria by the mucosa, as changes in TLR signaling were not present. This lack of microbe-host cross talk indicated that the changes in microbiota do not play a causal role in the heme-induced hyperproliferation.
Dietary heme alters microbiota and mucosa of mouse colon without functional changes in host-microbe cross-talk.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesOzone is a highly toxic air pollutant and global health concern. Mechanisms of genetic susceptibility to ozone-induced lung inflammation are not completely understood. We hypothesized Notch3 and Notch4 are important determinants of susceptibility to ozone-induced lung inflammation. Wild type (WT), Notch3 (Notch3-/-) and Notch4 (Notch4-/-) knockout mice were exposed to ozone (0.3 ppm) or filtered air for 6-72 hours. Ozone increased bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) protein, a marker of lung permeability, in all genotypes, but significantly greater concentrations were found in Notch4-/- compared to WT and Notch3-/-. Significantly greater mean numbers of BALF neutrophils were found in Notch3-/- and Notch4-/- mice compared to WT mice after ozone. Expression of whole lung Tnf was significantly increased after ozone in all genotypes, and was significantly greater in Notch3-/- mice compared to WT. Statistical analyses of the transcriptome identified differentially expressed gene networks between WT and knockout mice basally and after ozone, and included Trim30, a member of the inflammasome pathway, and Traf6, an inflammatory signaling member. These novel findings are consistent with Notch3 and Notch4 as susceptibility genes for ozone-induced lung injury, and suggest that Notch receptors protect against innate immune inflammation.
Novel Roles for Notch3 and Notch4 Receptors in Gene Expression and Susceptibility to Ozone-Induced Lung Inflammation in Mice.
Specimen part
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