Lactobacillus gasseri K7 modulates the blood cell transcriptome of conventional mice infected with Escherichia coli O157:H7.
OBJECTIVE
As the immune cells underlying the intestinal barrier sense luminal microbial signals, blood cell transcriptomics may identify subclinical changes triggered by gut bacteria that may otherwise not be detected. We have therefore investigated how Lactobacillus gasseri K7 and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 modulate the blood cell transcriptome of mice possessing an intact microbiota.


RESULTS
We have analysed the transcriptome of five groups of C57BL/6J mice: (i) control, (ii) inoculated with a single dose of E. coli, (iii) inoculated during 2 weeks with Lact. gasseri, (iv) co-inoculated with E. coli and Lact. gasseri, (v) inoculated with Lact. gasseri prior to E. coli infection. The transcriptome could distinguish between the five treatment groups. Gene characteristics of bacterial infection, in particular inflammation, were upregulated in the mice inoculated with E. coli. Lact. gasseri had only mild effects on the transcriptome but modified the gene expression induced by E. coli.


CONCLUSIONS
The transcriptome differentiates mice inoculated orally with E. coli, Lact. gasseri and combinations of these two strains.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the blood cell transcriptome can be used as a source of biomarkers to monitor the impact of probiotics in subclinical models of infectious disease.
Institute of Food Science, Agroscope, Berne, Switzerland; Institute of Food Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
F M
FM
Sagaya
B
B
Hacin
G
G
Tompa
A
A
Ihan
Š
Š
Špela
M
M
Černe
R F
RF
Hurrell
B B
BB
Matijašić
I
I
Rogelj
G
G
Vergères
D000818:Animals; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D019453:Escherichia coli O157; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology; D007778:Lactobacillus; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D019936:Probiotics; D059467:Transcriptome
Lactobacillus gasseri; enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli; transcriptomics