Lecture 11 and 12: Beneficial Interactions of Bacteria with the Host Flashcards
What is the role of the microbiome ?
The microbiome influences multiple host functions that have a direct impact on human health
What is the metagenomic approach ?
Study of genetic material directly from environmental samples
What are most bacteria not ?
They are not culturable
What is the 16s RNA subunit used for ?
Studying the evolutionary relationship between species
How are phylogenetic relationships between bacteria established ?
By comparing the stable part of the genetic code
What is whole genome shotgun sequencing ?
DNA broken up into fragments which are then sequnced. Multiple overlapping reads generated which are then overlapped to assemble into a continuous sequence
What is the aim of the human microbiome project ?
Aims to characterise the microbial communities found at several sites i the body
What is symbiosis ?
Associations in which one organism lives on or inside the other
What is mutualistic ?
Relationship beneficial to both species
What is commensalistic ?
Relationship where one organism benefits while the other is unaffected
What is parasitic ?
Relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of the other
What is a pathobiont ?
Any commensal species that does not normally elicit an inflammatory response but under particular conditions has the potential to cause dysregulated inflammation and lead to disease
What is a pathogen ?
An infectious agent that can cause disease to its host
What is the microbiota ?
Microbial organisms that make up the microbiome
What is the microbiome ?
Collection of genomes from all microorganisms
What are the sterile body sites ?
- Solid organs
- Blood
- Cerebrospinal fluid
- Urine
What are the colonised body sites ?
- Skin
- Nasal passage
- Oral mucosa
- Intestinal mucosa
- Urogenital mucosa
- Respiratory tract
How many bacteria phyla are human microbiota dominated by ?
4
What is exclusivity ?
Specific type of interaction with hosts that faciltates colonisation of specific site
What represents the most significant microbiota ?
Gastrointestinal tract
What are functions of the intestinal microbiota ?
- Digesiton of food and provision of nutrients
- Protection against colonisation with pathogenic organisms
- Epithelial homeostasis, differentiation of mucosa, maintenance of barrier integrity
- “Education” of the immune system, establishing immune tolerance
When is the fetus sterile ?
In utero
When does colonisation of fetus begin and end ?
Begins immediately after birth and ends by one week
What is modulated throughout life ?
Composition of gut flora influenced by host and environmental factors in the first year of life
What are early life factors that impact the development of the microbiota ?
- Mode of delivery
- Infant feeding
- Hospitalisation and premature birth
- Antibiotic use by mother during pregnancy and at time of delivery
What are life long factors that impact the development of mirobiota ?
- Antibiotic use
- Diet
- Obesity
- Use of probiotics
What do antibiotics affect ?
Gene expression, protein activity and overall metabolism of gut microbiota
What is clostridium difficile role ?
- Toxins
- Hydrolytic enzyme
- Increases vascular permeability
- Inflammation
- Disrupt epithelial tight junctions
What is a treatment of clostridium difficile ?
Fecal transplantation
What is the hygiene hypothesis ?
The lack of exposure of microorganisms and parasites has led to increased incidents of asmtha, allergies and atopic disease
What organ has the largest surface area ?
GI tract
What is gut associated lymphoid tissue ?
Organised lymphoid tissue/immune inductive sites
What are the functions of gut associated lymphoid tissue ?
- Sites of T cell education
- Initiation of immune responses
What are the main gut associated lymphoi tissues ?
- Peyers patches
- Mesenteric lymphnodes
What are peyers patches ?
- Large number of B cell follicles
- Intervening T cell areas
What separates peyers patches from intestinal lumen ?
Layers of epithelial cell
What does the layer of epithelial cell in gut associated lymphoid tissue ?
Specialised M cells
What is the function of specialised m cells ?
Take up antigen from lumen
What is the sub-epithelial dome rich in ?
Dendritic cell, B cell and T cells
What are mesenteric lymphnodes connected by ?
Connected by lymphatics to peyers patch
What is the function of the mesenteric lymphnode ?
Site of further T cell maturation
What are scattered lymphoid tissue/immune effector sites ?
Sites of mature effector T cells and B cells (IgA producing plasma cells), lamina propria and intraepithelial lymphocytes
What are intraepithelial lymphocytes ?
Mainly lymphocytes, predominantly CD8
What are lamina propia ?
CD4 and CD8, dendritic cells, plasma cells and macrophages
How do T cells enter peyers patches ?
From blood vessels directed by the honing receptors CC47 and L-selectin
What do T cells in peyers patches encounter?
Antigens transported across M cells and become activated by dendritic cells
What do activated T cells drain via ?
Mesenteric lymph nodes to the thoracic duct
What hones to the lamina propia and intestinal epithelium of the small intestine ?
Activated T cell expressing Alpha4:Beta7 integrin and CCR9
What does gut honing effector T cells bind on the epithelium ?
MAdCAM-1
What is the dominant class of antibody at mucosal surface ?
IgA
What is IgA produced as ?
Dimers of IgA and secretory component
Where is IgA synthesised ?
Plasma cells lying beneath epithelial basement membranes of the gut
What is IgA bound by ?
Polymeric Ig receptor (plgR) expressed by epithelial cells
What does the IgA complex undergo ?
Transcytosis
What is cleaved from the IgA complex after transcytosis ?
plgR
What does the carbohydrate on the secretory component bind ?
Binds to mucins in mucus and holds the IgA at the epithelial surface
What does the carbohydrate on the secreting component binding mucins prevent ?
Adherence of bacteria and neutralises toxins
What do toxins that reach the lamina propia encounter ?
Antigen specific IgA in the lamina propia
What is the main function of IgA ?
To limit access of pathogens to mucosal surface without causing inflammation
What can IgA not activate ?
Complement or act as opsonisation
What is class switching of IgA under the control of ?
TGF-Beta
What is immune tolerance ?
Process by which immune system does not respond to antigens
What does tolerance involve ?
- Deletion of antigen-specific T cells
- Generation of regulatory T cells
What does intestinal epithelium create ?
Essential barrier to microbiota
What do commensals not invade ?
Epithelium
What are some barriers to microbiota ?
- IEC tight junctions
- Microvilli
- Goblet cells producing mucous
- Secreted IgA
What is there low expression of on the apical surface of the intestinal epithelium ?
TLR
What is there increased expression of on the intestinal epithelium ?
Inhibitor molecules
Where is TLR5 expressed ?
On basolateral surface
What are intracellular pathogen recognition receptors ?
TLRP, NOD1, NOD2
What are gnotobiotic mice ?
Germ free mice - lack a microbiota and have an underdeveloped immune system
What are the defects in the gut associated lymphoid tissue of germ free mice ?
- Fewer peyers patches
- Smaller less ceullurlar mesenteric lymph node
- Less cellular lamina propia
What is there reduced of in germ free mice ?
1, Reduced IEL
2. Reduced expression of TLR and MHCII on intestinal epithelium
3. Reduced IgA secretion
4. Reduced CD4+ and B cells in spleen
What is the cell surface marker CD103+ expressed by ?
Dendritic cells from lamina propia also mesenteric lymph nodes but only a small proportion of splenic dendritic cells
What do dendritic cells from the peyers patch and lamina propia produce ?
High levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines TGF-B and IL10
What do splenic dendritic cells produce ?
pro-inflammatory cytokines IL12
What does the expression of CD103+ induce ?
- IgA secretions by naive B cells in mesenteric lymph nodes which then migrate to lamina propia as IgA secreting plasama cells
- Induce expression of gut honing receptors on activated B and T cells
- Drives differentiation of FoxP3+ T reg cells
What are the conditioning signals produced by intestinal epithelial cells ?
- TGF-B
- Thymic stromal lymphopoietin acts on dendritic cells to downregulate IL12 and drive IL10/TGF-B
- Vitamin A metablosied by dendritic cells to retonic acid
What do T reg cells suppress ?
Effector T cell responses
What are the two types of T reg cells ?
- Naturally occuring
- Inducible
What is the major site for postnatal maturation of T cells ?
Interaction with microbes in GI tract
What are newly born babies skewed for at birth ?
Th2
What stimulates Th1 cell expansion ?
Exposure to microbial antigens
Why is Th1/Th2 balance important ?
Protection against allergic disease
What are the impacts of intestinal microbiota on T cells ?
- Promote Th1 cells in the periphery which ensures TH1/TH2 balance
- Drives regulatory T cells in gut
- Drives Th17 in gut