Bulk RNA-seq profiling the response of human first-trimester and term Hofbauer cells to Listeria monocytogenes infection in vitro

To understand the response of human Hofbauer cells to Listeria monocytogenes infection and how it differs between first trimester and term, we established an infection assay using primary human first-trimester and term Hofbauer cells isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and cultured in vitro for 7 days. We then profiled and compared the transcriptomes of control cells (treated with PBS or Heat-Killed Listeria monocytogenes) and cells infected with Listeria monocytogenes for 8 hours using the NEBNext® Ultra II Directional RNA Library Prep Kit (Illumina).