Transcriptome Profiling of Pneumolysin Intoxication of Airway Epithelial Cells

Pneumonia remains one of the leading causes of death in both adults and children worldwide. Although viral and fungal acute airway infections can result in pneumonia, bacteria are the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia, with Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated in nearly 50% of cases. Pneumolysin is a cholesterol-dependent cytolysin or pore-forming toxin produced by Streptococcus pneumonia and has been shown to play a critical role in bacterial pathogenesis. Airway epithelium is the initial site of many bacterial contacts and its barrier and mucosal immunity functions are central to infectious lung diseases. We decided to assess changes in the transcriptome of human airway epithelial cells exposed to toxin, statin or both. Our current work provides the first global view in human airway epithelial cells of the transcriptome under statin exposure that results in cellular protection from pneumolysin.