Project description:Background: Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a global threat and has significant implications for individuals and health care systems. Little is known about host molecular mechanisms and transcriptional changes in peripheral immune cells. This is the first gene expression study in whole blood of patients with C. difficile infection. Methods: We took blood and stool samples from patients with toxigenic C. difficile infection (CDI), non-toxigenic C. difficile infection (GDH), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), diarrhoea from other causes (DC) and healthy controls (HC). We performed transcriptome-wide RNA profiling on peripheral blood to identify diarrhoea common and CDI unique gene sets. Results: Diarrhoea groups upregulated innate immune responses with neutrophils at the epicentre. The common signature associated with diarrhoea was non-specific and shared by various other inflammatory conditions. CDI had a unique 45-gene set reflecting downregulation of humoral and T cell memory functions. Dysregulation of immunometabolic genes was also abundant and linked to immune cell fate during differentiation. Conclusions: Whole transcriptome analysis of white cells in blood from patients with toxigenic C. difficile infection showed that there is an impairment of adaptive immunity and immunometabolism.
Project description:Gene expression level of Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) strain R20291 comparing control C. difficile carring pMTL84151 as vector plasmid with C. difficile conjugated with a pMTL84151-03890 gene. Goal was to determine the effects of 03890 gene conjugation on C. difficile strain R20291 gene expression.
Project description:The pathogenic bacterium Clostridioides difficile is a major cause of antibi-otic-associated diarrheal disease. Treatment of the disease is challenging because anti-biotics used for treatment may also perpetuate the conditions that contributed to initial susceptibility. Elucidating the mechanisms of C. difficile/intestinal epithelium interaction is needed to facilitate the development of new therapeutic options. The studies described in this communication demonstrate the development of a tissue culture system that supported the growth of C. difficile in co-culture with a model of the human intestinal epithelium produced from colonoids, organoids derived from human colonic biopsies. Epithelial cell responses to C. difficile included upregulation of CCL20, encoding a chemokine. Glucosylating toxin production by the bacteria was required for upregulation of CCL20. Additionally, bacteria associated with the monolayer in a non-toxin dependent manner. This system will support future investigation of epithelium/C. difficile interac-tions during CDI and identification of mechanisms that drive pathogenesis by C. difficile in the human intestine.
Project description:The intestines house a diverse microbiota that must compete for nutrients to survive, but the specific limiting nutrients that control pathogen colonization are not clearly defined. Clostridioides difficile colonization typically requires prior disruption of the microbiota, suggesting that outcompeting commensals for resources is key in establishing C. difficile infection (CDI). The immune protein calprotectin (CP) is released into the gut lumen during CDI to chelate zinc (Zn) and other essential nutrient metals. Yet, the impact of Zn limitation on C. difficile colonization is unknown. To define C. difficile responses to Zn limitation, we performed RNA sequencing on C. difficile exposed to CP. In media with CP, C. difficile upregulated genes involved in metal homeostasis and amino acid metabolism.
Project description:Clostridioides difficile can cause severe infections in the gastrointestinal tract and affects almost half a million people in the U.S every year. Upon establishment of infection, a strong immune response is induced. We sought to investigate the dynamics of the mucosal host response during C. difficile infection.
Project description:Clostridioides difficile is one of the most common nosocomial pathogens and a global public health threat. Upon colonization of the gastrointestinal tract, C. difficile is exposed to a rapidly changing polymicrobial environment and a dynamic metabolic milieu. Despite the link between the gut microbiota and susceptibility to C. difficile, the impact of synergistic interactions between the microbiota and pathogens on the outcome of infection is largely unknown. Here, we show that microbial cooperation between C. difficile and Enterococcus has a profound impact on the growth, metabolism, and pathogenesis of C. difficile.. Through a process of nutrient restriction and metabolite cross-feeding, E. faecalis shapes the metabolic environment in the gut to enhance C. difficile fitness and increase toxin production. These findings demonstrate that members of the microbiota, such as Enterococcus, have a previously unappreciated impact on C. difficile behavior and virulence.