Fusobacterium nucleatum Infection of Colonic Cells Stimulates MUC2 Mucin and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha
ABSTRACTThe etiology of inflammatory bowel disease is not completely known, but it is influenced by the presence of normal gut microflora as well as yet-unrecognized pathogens. The anaerobic, Gram-negative bacterial speciesFusobacterium nucleatumis a common resident of the human mouth and gut and varies in its pathogenic potential. In this study, we demonstrate that highly invasiveF. nucleatumisolates derived from the inflamed guts of Crohn's disease patients evoked significantly greater MUC2 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) gene expression than minimally invasive strains isolated from the noninflamed gut in human colonic epithelial cells and in a rat ligated colonic loop model of infection. Only liveF. nucleatuminduced mucin secretion and TNF-α expression in direct contact with and/or during invasion of colonic cells. In rat colons, mucin secretion was augmented in response to a highly invasiveF. nucleatumisolate but was unaffected by treatment with a minimally invasive strain. Taken together, these studies reveal thatF. nucleatummay represent a challenging pathogen in the etiology of gut inflammatory diseases and highlight the importance of different pathotypes of candidate bacterial species in disease pathogenesis.