Faecalibacterium prausnitzii promotes intestinal epithelial IL-18 production through activation of the HIF1A pathway

In this study, we investigated the regulation of interleukin-18 (IL-18) expression, crucial for intestinal barrier integrity, in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Through experiments with Caco-2 cells, we demonstrated that HIF1α-mediated IL18 expression induced by F. prausnitzii was dependent on HIF1α, suggesting a potential role for butyrate-producing gut bacteria in promoting mucosal healing in IBD. Wild-type Caco-2 and CRISPR/Cas9-engineered Caco-2-HIF1A-null cells were cocultured with Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in a 'Human oxygen-Bacteria anaerobic' in vitro system: e.v.: CRISPR/Cas9-empty vector cl.21: HIF1A-KO 2D: well-culture Co-culture: co-cultures with F. prausnitzii in HoxBan system Monoculture: monoculture in HoxBan system monoculture YCFAinul: monoculture in HoxBan system supplemented with inulin monoculture YCFAmuc: monoculture in HoxBan system supplemented with mucin Poop + YCFAinul: stool coculture in HoxBan system supplemented with inulin Poop + YCFAmuc: stool coculture in HoxBan system supplemented with mucin and analyzed by RNA sequencing.