Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Grand Hall and Gallery, Ground Floor & 1st Floor (Maritim Hotel)
Colonization of the mouse small intestine by SFB leads to the post-natal maturation of the mucosal immune system and induces a healthy state of physiological inflammation, characterized by enhanced innate defences, stimulation of both B and T-cell responses, and a particular striking induction of Th17 cells. The broad immunostimulatory properties of SFB do not result in pathology but protect the host from enteric pathogens and can modulate disease severity in a range of murine autoimmune models, making SFB a key member of the intestinal microbiota and a critical microbe in both health and disease. Despite numerous efforts, SFB have resisted in vitro culturing for over 50 years, thereby preventing the characterization of its growth and the host-bacterial interaction. Here we successfully cultured mouse SFB in vitro in an SFB-host cell co-culturing system for the first time and provide novel insights into the growth requirements and replicative-cycle of SFB. In addition, we demonstrate attachment of SFB to host cells and analyse the host response to SFB challenge in vitro. The ability to now decipher the cross-talk between SFB and its host should greatly aid our understanding of this critical symbiosis, which, notably, is disrupted by antibiotics.
