Vaginal microbes alter epithelial transcriptomic and epigenomic modifications providing insight into the molecular mechanisms for susceptibility to adverse reproductive outcomes.

ABSTRACT: The cervicovaginal microbiome is highly associated with women's health with microbial communities dominated by Lactobacillus spp. being considered optimal. Conversely, a lack of lactobacilli and a high abundance of strict and facultative anaerobes including Gardnerella vaginalis, have been associated with adverse reproductive outcomes. However, the molecular pathways modulated by microbe interactions with the cervicovaginal epithelia remain unclear. Using RNA-sequencing, we characterize the in vitro cervicovaginal epithelial transcriptional response to different vaginal bacteria and their culture supernatants. We showed that G. vaginalis upregulated genes were associated with an activated innate immune response including anti-microbial peptides and inflammasome

SUBMITTER: Elovitz M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10680926 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature