Journal article
Outer Membrane Vesicles From Bacteroides fragilis Contain Coding and Non‐Coding Small RNA Species That Modulate Inflammatory Signalling in Intestinal Epithelial Cells
Journal of extracellular biology, v 4(10), e70086
Oct 2025
PMID: 41127052
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Alterations to the community structure and function of the microbiome are associated with changes to host physiology, including immune responses. However, the contribution of microbe‐derived RNAs carried by outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) to host immune responses remains unclear. This study investigated the role of OMVs and OMV‐associated small RNA (sRNA) species from pathogenic and commensal Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF and NTBF, respectively) in eliciting different immune responses from intestinal epithelial cells. To distinguish the differences in the sRNA profiles of the two strains and their OMVs, RNA‐seq, qRT‐PCR, and northern blotting were conducted to identify enrichment of discrete sRNA species in OMVs, which were also differentially expressed between the two strains. Specifically, coding and non‐coding RNAs were enriched in OMVs from NTBF and ETBF, with BF9343_RS22680 and BF9343_RS17870 being significantly enriched in ETBF OMVs compared to NTBF. To understand the effects of OMVs on pattern recognition receptors, reporter cells of Toll‐like receptor (TLR) activation were treated with OMVs, demonstrating activation of TLRs 2, 3, and 7. Treatment of Caco‐2 and HT29‐MTX cells with OMVs demonstrated increased expression of IL‐8. Surprisingly, we discovered that degradation of RNase‐accessible RNAs within ETBF OMVs, but not NTBF OMVs, resulted in vesicles with enhanced capacity to stimulate IL‐8 expression, indicating that these extravesicular RNAs exert an immunosuppressive effect. This suggests a dual role for OMV‐associated RNAs in modulating host immune responses, with implications for both bacterial pathogenesis and therapeutic applications.
Metrics
6 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Outer Membrane Vesicles From Bacteroides fragilis Contain Coding and Non‐Coding Small RNA Species That Modulate Inflammatory Signalling in Intestinal Epithelial Cells
- Creators
- Aadil Sheikh - Baylor UniversityColin Scano - Baylor UniversityJulia Xu - Baylor UniversityTolulope Ojo - Baylor UniversityJessica M. Conforti - Baylor UniversityKayla L. Haberman - Baylor UniversityBryan King - Baylor UniversityAlysia S. Martinez - Baylor UniversityMichelle Pujol - Baylor UniversityJuli Watkins - Baylor UniversityJames Lotter - Baylor UniversityEmily L. Lin - Baylor UniversityBernd Zechmann - Baylor UniversityAmanda Sevcik - Baylor UniversityChristie Sayes - Drexel UniversityElyssia S. Gallagher - Baylor UniversitySteven P. Lang - Department of Microbiology and Immunology Drexel University Philadelphia USAJoshua Mell - Drexel UniversityGarth D. Ehrlich - Drexel UniversityJoseph H. Taube - Baylor UniversityK. Leigh Greathouse (Corresponding Author) - Baylor University
- Publication Details
- Journal of extracellular biology, v 4(10), e70086
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 14
- Grant note
- National Institutes of Health
K.L.G., C.S. and J.H.T. were supported by the NIH under Grant 1R15 AI156742-01A1, and Baylor University Office of the Vice Provost of Research by the Faculty Research Investment Program. J.M.C. and E.S.G. were partially supported by NIH 1R15GM146188-01 and NIH R35GM150464.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001597903400001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105019405973
- Other Identifier
- 991022124263504721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology