Effects of sphingolipid-producing bacteria on Caco-2 gene expression. Homo sapiens

Sphingolipids produced by the microbiome have the potential to signal into host pathways and influence metabolic health. To investigate the effects of bacterial sphingolipids on host signaling pathways, we generated RNA-seq data from human colonic epithelial (Caco-2) cells exposed to sphingolipid synthesis competent and deficient bacteria. We used Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (BTWT) and a strain with an inactivated sphingolipid synthesis gene that showed ablation of sphingolipid production (SLMUT). This allowed us to assess how Caco-2 cells respond to whole bacterial cells with and without sphingolipids. Caco-2 cells were grown in a transwell system that allowed for the transfer of bacterial metabolites without physical contact between bacterial and human cells.

微生物组产生的鞘脂（Sphingolipids）可介导宿主通路的信号转导，并对代谢健康产生影响。为探究细菌鞘脂对宿主信号通路的调控作用，我们将人结肠上皮（Caco-2）细胞分别暴露于鞘脂合成能力正常与缺陷的细菌，随后获取其RNA-seq数据。本研究使用了多形拟杆菌（Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron，BTWT）以及一株鞘脂合成基因失活、鞘脂合成产物完全缺失的突变菌株（SLMUT），借此得以评估Caco-2细胞对含鞘脂与不含鞘脂的完整细菌细胞的应答反应。Caco-2细胞采用Transwell小室培养系统进行培养，该系统可实现细菌代谢物的跨膜传递，且细菌与人类细胞之间无直接物理接触。