Access to highly specialized growth substrates and production of epithelial immunomodulatory metabolites determine survival of Haemophilus influenzae in human airway epithelial cells.

ABSTRACT: Haemophilus influenzae (Hi) infections are associated with recurring acute exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases in children and adults including otitis media, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. Here, we show that persistence and recurrence of Hi infections are closely linked to Hi metabolic properties, where preferred growth substrates are aligned to the metabolome of human airway epithelial surfaces and include lactate, pentoses, and nucleosides, but not glucose that is typically used for studies of Hi growth in vitro. Enzymatic and physiological investigations revealed that utilization of lactate, the preferred Hi carbon source, required the LldD L-lactate dehydrogenase (conservation: 98.8% of strains), but not the two redox-balancing D-lactate dehydrog

SUBMITTER: Hosmer J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8794153 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature