Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-29-2025
Publication Title
BMC biology [electronic resource]
Keywords
JGM, SS1, Immunity, Innate, Humans, Interferons, Microbiota, Respiratory Mucosa, Epithelial Cells, Species Specificity, Cells, Cultured
JAX Source
BMC Biol. 2025;23(1):28.
Volume
23
Issue
1
First Page
28
Last Page
28
ISSN
1741-7007
PMID
39875977
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-025-02129-7
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The microbiome regulates the respiratory epithelium's immunomodulatory functions. To explore how the microbiome's biodiversity affects microbe-epithelial interactions, we screened 58 phylogenetically diverse microbes for their transcriptomic effect on human primary bronchial air-liquid interface (ALI) cell cultures.
RESULTS: We found distinct species- and strain-level differences in host innate immunity and epithelial barrier response. Strikingly, we found that host interferon, an antiviral response, was one of the most variable host processes. This variability was not driven by microbial phylogenetic diversity, bioburden, nor by the microbe's ability to stimulate other innate immunity pathways.
CONCLUSIONS: Microbial colonization differentially stimulates host gene expression with variations observed across phylogenetically diverse microbes and across different strains of the same species. Our study provides a foundation for understanding how the respiratory microbiome's biodiversity affects epithelial, and particularly antiviral, innate immunity.
Recommended Citation
Horvath M,
Xiong R,
Cadena D,
Callender M,
Aiken E,
Voigt A,
Caldwell R,
Fachi J,
Di Luccia B,
Scholar Z,
Yu P,
Salner A,
Colonna M,
Palucka K,
Oh J.
Species- and strain-specific microbial modulation of interferon, innate immunity, and epithelial barrier in 2D air-liquid interface respiratory epithelial cultures. BMC Biol. 2025;23(1):28.