Fletcher Joshua R, Hunter Ryan C
Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, NC 27606.
Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203.
bioRxiv. 2025 Jun 19:2025.06.18.660387. doi: 10.1101/2025.06.18.660387.
is a common member of the oral microbiota frequently associated with extraoral infections and diverse polymicrobial environments, including chronic airway diseases and colorectal tumors. Yet, its interactions with co-colonizing microbiota remain poorly defined. Here, we investigate cross-feeding interspecies dynamics between and a glycan-foraging anaerobe enriched in airways and gastrointestinal tumors. Using broth cultures, cell-free supernatants, and co-culture on primary human airway epithelial cells, we identify bidirectional interactions that shape nutrient acquisition, biofilm formation, gene expression, and host responses. While mucin or supernatants modestly enhanced growth, both conditions triggered transcriptional remodeling, including induction of the operon for sialic acid catabolism, suggesting reliance on glycan degradation by Conversely, exhibited differential expression of multiple polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) when exposed to or its metabolites. Biofilm formation by was strongly inhibited by indicative of antagonistic interactions. Dual and triple RNA-seq revealed that epithelial responses were predominately shaped by with enrichment of inflammatory and cancer-associated pathways; however, co-colonization with modulated the magnitude and specificity of host gene expression. These findings demonstrate that glycan-mediated cross-feeding and microbial interactions shape the physiology and pathogenic potential of in mucosal environments. This work underscores the importance of modeling polymicrobial communities under host-relevant conditions to better understand pathobiont behavior at the epithelial interface.
是口腔微生物群的常见成员,经常与口外感染和多种微生物环境相关,包括慢性气道疾病和结直肠癌肿瘤。然而,它与共定植微生物群的相互作用仍不清楚。在这里,我们研究了与一种在气道和胃肠道肿瘤中富集的聚糖觅食厌氧菌之间的交叉喂养种间动态。使用肉汤培养物、无细胞上清液以及在原代人气道上皮细胞上进行共培养,我们确定了塑造营养获取、生物膜形成、基因表达和宿主反应的双向相互作用。虽然粘蛋白或上清液适度增强了的生长,但这两种情况都触发了转录重塑,包括诱导唾液酸分解代谢的操纵子,表明依赖于的聚糖降解。相反,当暴露于或其代谢产物时,表现出多个多糖利用位点(PULs)的差异表达。的生物膜形成受到强烈抑制,表明存在拮抗相互作用。双重和三重RNA测序表明,上皮反应主要由塑造,炎症和癌症相关途径富集;然而,与共定植调节了宿主基因表达的幅度和特异性。这些发现表明,聚糖介导的交叉喂养和微生物相互作用塑造了在粘膜环境中的生理学和致病潜力。这项工作强调了在宿主相关条件下对多微生物群落进行建模以更好地理解上皮界面处致病共生体行为的重要性。