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Applying Advanced In Vitro Culturing Technology to Study the Human Gut Microbiota

The human gut microbiota plays a vital role in both human health and disease. Studying the gut microbiota using an in vivo model, is difficult due to its ...

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) is a promising new modality for malignancies. Here, we report that adoptive T cell efficacy in tumor-bearing mice is significantly affected by differences in the native composition of the gut microbiome or treatment with antibiotics, or by heterologous fecal transfer. Depletion of bacteria with vancomycin decreased the rate of tumor growth in mice from The Jackson Laboratory receiving ACT, whereas treatment with neomycin and metronidazole had no effect, indicating the role of specific bacteria in host response. Vancomycin treatment induced an increase in systemic CD8α+ DCs, which sustained systemic adoptively transferred antitumor T cells in an IL-12-dependent manner. In subjects undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, we found that oral vancomycin also increased IL-12 levels. Collectively, our findings demonstrate an important role played by the gut microbiota in the antitumor effectiveness of ACT and suggest potentially new avenues to improve response to ACT by altering the gut microbiota.

Gut microbiota modulates adoptive cell therapy via CD8α dendritic cells and IL-12.

The Twin Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (TWINSHIME®) was initially developed to study the luminal gut microbiota of the ascending (AC), transverse (TC), and descending (DC) colon regions. Given the unique composition and potential importance of the mucosal microbiota for human health, the TWINSHIME was recently adapted to simulate the mucosal microbiota as well as the luminal community. It has been previously demonstrated that the luminal community in the TWINSHIME reaches a steady state within two weeks post inoculation, and is able to differentiate into region specific communities. However, less is known regarding the mucosal community structure and dynamics. During the current study, the luminal and mucosal communities in each region of the TWINSHIME were evaluated over the course of six weeks. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and short chain fatty acid analysis, it was determined that both the luminal and mucosal communities reached stability 10-20 days after inoculation, and remained stable until the end of the experiment. Bioinformatics analysis revealed the formation of unique community structures between the mucosal and luminal phases in all three colon regions, yet these communities were similar to the inoculum. Specific colonizers of the mucus mainly belonged to the Firmicutes phylum and included Lachnospiraceae (AC/TC/DC), Ruminococcaceae and Eubacteriaceae (AC), Lactobacillaceae (AC/TC), Clostridiaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae (TC/DC). In contrast, Bacteroidaceae were enriched in the gut lumen of all three colon regions. The unique profile of short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production further demonstrated system stability, but also proved to be an area of marked differences between the in vitro system and in vivo reports. Results of this study demonstrate that it is possible to replicate the community structure and composition of the gut microbiota in vitro. Through implementation of this system, the human gut microbiota can be studied in a dynamic and continuous fashion.

Establishing a mucosal gut microbial community in vitro using an artificial simulator.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse or chronic stress, program an exaggerated adult inflammatory response to stress. Emerging rodent research suggests that the gut microbiome may be a key mediator in the association between early life stress and dysregulated glucocorticoid-immune response. However, ACE impact on inflammatory response to stress, or on the gut microbiome, have not been studied in human pregnancy, when inflammation increases risk of poor outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the relationships among ACE, the gut microbiome, and cytokine response to stress in pregnant women.

Ceylan Tanes

Division of Gastroenterology,
Hepatology,
and Nutrition,
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Applying Advanced In Vitro Culturing Technology to Study the Human Gut Microbiota

Ceylan Tanes

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Division of Gastroenterology,Hepatology,and Nutrition,Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Applying Advanced In Vitro Culturing Technology to Study the Human Gut Microbiota

Division of Gastroenterology,
Hepatology,
and Nutrition,
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition