Morphine-induced intestinal microbial dysbiosis drives TLR-dependent IgA targeting of gram-positive bacteria and upregulation of CD11b and TLR2 on a sub-population of IgA B cells.

IgA binding dictates the composition of the intestinal microbiome and reflects dysbiotic states during chronic disease. Both pathogenic and commensal bacteria differentially bind to IgA with varying outcomes. Little is known regarding IgA dynamics immediately following microbial dysbiosis. Recent work shows that morphine treatment rapidly induces microbial dysbiosis within hours of administration. This microbial shift is characterized by the expansion of pathogenic bacteria with a concurrent decrease in commensal bacteria. Because of this rapid microbial shift, a murine model of chronic morphine treatment was used to gain insight on the host IgA response during early microbial disruption. Within 24 h, morphine treatment induces microbial dysbiosis which disrupts IgA-bacterial homeostasis, resulting in an increased concentration of unbound IgA with a corresponding decrease in the frequency of IgA-bound bacteria. Additionally, the increased concentration of unbound IgA is dependent on the microbiome, as microbial depletion abolishes the increase. At 48 h of morphine treatment, the frequency of IgA-bound bacteria increases and IgA-seq reveals increased IgA targeting of gram-positive bacteria. Both a whole-body TLR2 KO and treatment with the TLR inhibitor OxPAPC resulted in abrogation of IgA binding to bacteria, implicating modulation of IgA binding through TLR signaling. Finally, we identify that a sub-population of IgA B cells in the intestinal lamina propria has increased CD11b and TLR2 expression at 24 h of morphine treatment which could be a potential source of the observed IgA that targets gram-positive bacteria. Together, we demonstrate for the first time the role of TLR2 in IgA targeting of intestinal bacteria, and this study sheds light on the IgA dynamics during the initial hours of microbial dysbiosis.