scholarly journals Strain-Dependent Inhibition of Clostridioides difficile by Commensal Clostridia Carrying the Bile Acid-Inducible (bai) Operon

2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. Reed ◽  
M. A. Nethery ◽  
A. Stewart ◽  
R. Barrangou ◽  
C. M. Theriot

ABSTRACT Clostridioides difficile is one of the leading causes of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Gut microbiota-derived secondary bile acids and commensal Clostridia that carry the bile acid-inducible (bai) operon are associated with protection from C. difficile infection (CDI), although the mechanism is not known. In this study, we hypothesized that commensal Clostridia are important for providing colonization resistance against C. difficile due to their ability to produce secondary bile acids, as well as potentially competing against C. difficile for similar nutrients. To test this hypothesis, we examined the abilities of four commensal Clostridia carrying the bai operon (Clostridium scindens VPI 12708, C. scindens ATCC 35704, Clostridium hiranonis, and Clostridium hylemonae) to convert cholate (CA) to deoxycholate (DCA) in vitro, and we determined whether the amount of DCA produced was sufficient to inhibit the growth of a clinically relevant C. difficile strain. We also investigated the competitive relationships between these commensals and C. difficile using an in vitro coculture system. We found that inhibition of C. difficile growth by commensal Clostridia supplemented with CA was strain dependent, correlated with the production of ∼2 mM DCA, and increased the expression of bai operon genes. We also found that C. difficile was able to outcompete all four commensal Clostridia in an in vitro coculture system. These studies are instrumental in understanding the relationship between commensal Clostridia and C. difficile in the gut, which is vital for designing targeted bacterial therapeutics. Future studies dissecting the regulation of the bai operon in vitro and in vivo and how this affects CDI will be important. IMPORTANCE Commensal Clostridia carrying the bai operon, such as C. scindens, have been associated with protection against CDI; however, the mechanism for this protection is unknown. Herein, we show four commensal Clostridia that carry the bai operon and affect C. difficile growth in a strain-dependent manner, with and without the addition of cholate. Inhibition of C. difficile by commensals correlated with the efficient conversion of cholate to deoxycholate, a secondary bile acid that inhibits C. difficile germination, growth, and toxin production. Competition studies also revealed that C. difficile was able to outcompete the commensals in an in vitro coculture system. These studies are instrumental in understanding the relationship between commensal Clostridia and C. difficile in the gut, which is vital for designing targeted bacterial therapeutics.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.D. Reed ◽  
M.A. Nethery ◽  
A. Stewart ◽  
R. Barrangou ◽  
C.M. Theriot

AbstractClostridioides difficile is one of the leading causes of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Gut microbiota-derived secondary bile acids and commensal Clostridia that encode the bile acid inducible (bai) operon are associated with protection from C. difficile infection (CDI), although the mechanism is not known. In this study we hypothesized that commensal Clostridia are important for providing colonization resistance against C. difficile due to their ability to produce secondary bile acids, as well as potentially competing against C. difficile for similar nutrients. To test this hypothesis, we examined the ability of four commensal Clostridia encoding the bai operon (C. scindens VPI 12708, C. scindens ATCC 35704, C. hiranonis, and C. hylemonae) to convert CA to DCA in vitro, and if the amount of DCA produced was sufficient to inhibit growth of a clinically relevant C. difficile strain. We also investigated the competitive relationship between these commensals and C. difficile using an in vitro co-culture system. We found that inhibition of C. difficile growth by commensal Clostridia supplemented with CA was strain-dependent, correlated with the production of ∼2 mM DCA, and increased expression of bai operon genes. We also found that C. difficile was able to outcompete all four commensal Clostridia in an in vitro co-culture system. These studies are instrumental in understanding the relationship between commensal Clostridia and C. difficile in the gut, which is vital for designing targeted bacterial therapeutics. Future studies dissecting the regulation of the bai operon in vitro and in vivo and how this affects CDI will be important.ImportanceCommensal Clostridia encoding the bai operon such as C. scindens have been associated with protection against CDI, however the mechanism for this protection is unknown. Herein, we show four commensal Clostridia that encode the bai operon effect C. difficile growth in a strain-dependent manner, with and without the addition of cholate. Inhibition of C. difficile by commensals correlated with the efficient conversion of cholate to deoxycholate, a secondary bile acid that inhibits C. difficile germination, growth, and toxin production. Competition studies also revealed that C. difficile was able to outcompete the commensals in an in vitro co-culture system. These studies are instrumental in understanding the relationship between commensal Clostridia and C. difficile in the gut, which is vital for designing targeted bacterial therapeutics.


mSphere ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Casey M. Theriot ◽  
Alison A. Bowman ◽  
Vincent B. Young

ABSTRACT Antibiotics alter the gastrointestinal microbiota, allowing for Clostridium difficile infection, which is a significant public health problem. Changes in the structure of the gut microbiota alter the metabolome, specifically the production of secondary bile acids. Specific bile acids are able to initiate C. difficile spore germination and also inhibit C. difficile growth in vitro, although no study to date has defined physiologically relevant bile acids in the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we define the bile acids C. difficile spores encounter in the small and large intestines before and after various antibiotic treatments. Antibiotics that alter the gut microbiota and deplete secondary bile acid production allow C. difficile colonization, representing a mechanism of colonization resistance. Multiple secondary bile acids in the large intestine were able to inhibit C. difficile spore germination and growth at physiological concentrations and represent new targets to combat C. difficile in the large intestine. It is hypothesized that the depletion of microbial members responsible for converting primary bile acids into secondary bile acids reduces resistance to Clostridium difficile colonization. To date, inhibition of C. difficile growth by secondary bile acids has only been shown in vitro. Using targeted bile acid metabolomics, we sought to define the physiologically relevant concentrations of primary and secondary bile acids present in the murine small and large intestinal tracts and how these impact C. difficile dynamics. We treated mice with a variety of antibiotics to create distinct microbial and metabolic (bile acid) environments and directly tested their ability to support or inhibit C. difficile spore germination and outgrowth ex vivo. Susceptibility to C. difficile in the large intestine was observed only after specific broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment (cefoperazone, clindamycin, and vancomycin) and was accompanied by a significant loss of secondary bile acids (deoxycholate, lithocholate, ursodeoxycholate, hyodeoxycholate, and ω-muricholate). These changes were correlated to the loss of specific microbiota community members, the Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae families. Additionally, physiological concentrations of secondary bile acids present during C. difficile resistance were able to inhibit spore germination and outgrowth in vitro. Interestingly, we observed that C. difficile spore germination and outgrowth were supported constantly in murine small intestinal content regardless of antibiotic perturbation, suggesting that targeting growth of C. difficile will prove most important for future therapeutics and that antibiotic-related changes are organ specific. Understanding how the gut microbiota regulates bile acids throughout the intestine will aid the development of future therapies for C. difficile infection and other metabolically relevant disorders such as obesity and diabetes. IMPORTANCE Antibiotics alter the gastrointestinal microbiota, allowing for Clostridium difficile infection, which is a significant public health problem. Changes in the structure of the gut microbiota alter the metabolome, specifically the production of secondary bile acids. Specific bile acids are able to initiate C. difficile spore germination and also inhibit C. difficile growth in vitro, although no study to date has defined physiologically relevant bile acids in the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we define the bile acids C. difficile spores encounter in the small and large intestines before and after various antibiotic treatments. Antibiotics that alter the gut microbiota and deplete secondary bile acid production allow C. difficile colonization, representing a mechanism of colonization resistance. Multiple secondary bile acids in the large intestine were able to inhibit C. difficile spore germination and growth at physiological concentrations and represent new targets to combat C. difficile in the large intestine.


Author(s):  
Jacqueline R. Phan ◽  
Dung M. Do ◽  
Minh Chau Truong ◽  
Connie Ngo ◽  
Julian H. Phan ◽  
...  

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the major identifiable cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. The emergence of hypervirulent C. difficile strains has led to increases in both hospital- and community-acquired CDI. Furthermore, CDI relapse from hypervirulent strains can reach up to 25%. Thus, standard treatments are rendered less effective, making new methods of prevention and treatment more critical. Previously, the bile salt analog CamSA was shown to inhibit spore germination in vitro and protect mice and hamsters from C. difficile strain 630. Here, we show that CamSA was less active at preventing spore germination of other C. difficile ribotypes, including the hypervirulent strain R20291. Strain-specific in vitro germination activity of CamSA correlated with its ability to prevent CDI in mice. Additional bile salt analogs were screened for in vitro germination inhibition activity against strain R20291, and the most active compounds were tested against other strains. An aniline-substituted bile salt analog, (CaPA), was found to be a better anti-germinant than CamSA against eight different C. difficile strains. In addition, CaPA was capable of reducing, delaying, or preventing murine CDI signs in all strains tested. CaPA-treated mice showed no obvious toxicity and showed minor effects on their gut microbiome. CaPA’s efficacy was further confirmed by its ability to prevent CDI in hamsters infected with strain 630. These data suggest that C. difficile spores respond to germination inhibitors in a strain-dependent manner. However, careful screening can identify anti-germinants with broad CDI prophylaxis activity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenessa A. Winston ◽  
Alissa J. Rivera ◽  
Jingwei Cai ◽  
Rajani Thanissery ◽  
Stephanie A. Montgomery ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is associated with increasing morbidity and mortality posing an urgent threat to public health. Recurrence of CDI after successful treatment with antibiotics is high, thus necessitating discovery of novel therapeutics against this enteric pathogen. Administration of the secondary bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA; ursodiol) inhibits the life cycles of various strains of C. difficile in vitro, suggesting that the FDA-approved formulation of UDCA, known as ursodiol, may be able to restore colonization resistance against C. difficile in vivo. However, the mechanism(s) by which ursodiol is able to restore colonization resistance against C. difficile remains unknown. Here, we confirmed that ursodiol inhibits C. difficile R20291 spore germination and outgrowth, growth, and toxin activity in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. In a murine model of CDI, exogenous administration of ursodiol resulted in significant alterations in the bile acid metabolome with little to no changes in gut microbial community structure. Ursodiol pretreatment resulted in attenuation of CDI pathogenesis early in the course of disease, which coincided with alterations in the cecal and colonic inflammatory transcriptome, bile acid-activated receptors nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and transmembrane G-protein-coupled membrane receptor 5 (TGR5), which are able to modulate the innate immune response through signaling pathways such as NF-κB. Although ursodiol pretreatment did not result in a consistent decrease in the C. difficile life cycle in vivo, it was able to attenuate an overly robust inflammatory response that is detrimental to the host during CDI. Ursodiol remains a viable nonantibiotic treatment and/or prevention strategy against CDI. Likewise, modulation of the host innate immune response via bile acid-activated receptors FXR and TGR5 represents a new potential treatment strategy for patients with CDI.


2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lien Van den Bossche ◽  
Pieter Hindryckx ◽  
Lindsey Devisscher ◽  
Sarah Devriese ◽  
Sophie Van Welden ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The promising results seen in studies of secondary bile acids in experimental colitis suggest that they may represent an attractive and safe class of drugs for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). However, the exact mechanism by which bile acid therapy confers protection from colitogenesis is currently unknown. Since the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of IBD, and exogenous bile acid administration may affect the community structure of the microbiota, we examined the impact of the secondary bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and its taurine or glycine conjugates on the fecal microbial community structure during experimental colitis. Daily oral administration of UDCA, tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), or glycoursodeoxycholic acid (GUDCA) equally lowered the severity of dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice, as evidenced by reduced body weight loss, colonic shortening, and expression of inflammatory cytokines. Illumina sequencing demonstrated that bile acid therapy during colitis did not restore fecal bacterial richness and diversity. However, bile acid therapy normalized the colitis-associated increased ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. Interestingly, administration of bile acids prevented the loss of Clostridium cluster XIVa and increased the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, bacterial species known to be particularly decreased in IBD patients. We conclude that UDCA, which is an FDA-approved drug for cholestatic liver disorders, could be an attractive treatment option to reduce dysbiosis and ameliorate inflammation in human IBD. IMPORTANCE Secondary bile acids are emerging as attractive candidates for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Although bile acids may affect the intestinal microbial community structure, which significantly contributes to the course of these inflammatory disorders, the impact of bile acid therapy on the fecal microbiota during colitis has not yet been considered. Here, we studied the alterations in the fecal microbial abundance in colitic mice following the administration of secondary bile acids. Our results show that secondary bile acids reduce the severity of colitis and ameliorate colitis-associated fecal dysbiosis at the phylum level. This study indicates that secondary bile acids might act as a safe and effective drug for inflammatory bowel disease.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavan Bhargava ◽  
Leah Mische ◽  
Matthew D. Smith ◽  
Emily Harrington ◽  
Kathryn C Fitzgerald ◽  
...  

AbstractMultiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the CNS. Bile acids are cholesterol metabolites that can signal through receptors on cells throughout the body, including the CNS and immune system. Whether bile acid metabolism is abnormal in MS is unknown. Using global and targeted metabolomic profiling, we identified lower levels of circulating bile acid metabolites in multiple cohorts of adult and pediatric MS patients compared to controls. In white matter lesions from MS brain tissue, we noted the presence of bile acid receptors on immune and glial cells. To mechanistically examine the implications of lower levels of bile acids in MS, we studied the in vitro effects of an endogenous bile acid – tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) on astrocyte and microglial polarization. TUDCA prevented neurotoxic (A1) polarization of astrocytes and pro-inflammatory polarization of microglia in a dose-dependent manner. TUDCA supplementation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis reduced severity of disease, based on behavioral and pathological measures. We demonstrate that bile acid metabolism is altered in MS; bile acid supplementation prevents polarization of astrocytes and microglia to neurotoxic phenotypes and ameliorates neuropathology in an animal model of MS. These findings identify dysregulated bile acid metabolism as a potential therapeutic target in MS.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Naumann ◽  
Ute Schweiggert-Weisz ◽  
Julia Eglmeier ◽  
Dirk Haller ◽  
Peter Eisner

Dietary fibres are reported to interact with bile acids, preventing their reabsorption and promoting their excretion into the colon. We used a method based on in vitro digestion, dialysis, and kinetic analysis to investigate how dietary fibre enriched food ingredients affect the release of primary and secondary bile acids as related to viscosity and adsorption. As the main bile acids abundant in humans interactions with glyco- and tauroconjugated cholic acid, chenodesoxycholic acid and desoxycholic acid were analysed. Viscous interactions were detected for apple, barley, citrus, lupin, pea, and potato derived ingredients, which slowed the bile acid release rate by up to 80%. Adsorptive interactions of up to 4.7 μmol/100 mg DM were significant in barley, oat, lupin, and maize preparations. As adsorption directly correlated to the hydrophobicity of the bile acids the hypothesis of a hydrophobic linkage between bile acids and dietary fibre is supported. Delayed diffusion in viscous fibre matrices was further associated with the micellar properties of the bile acids. As our results indicate changes in the bile acid pool size and composition due to interactions with dietary fibre rich ingredients, the presented method and results could add to recent fields of bile acid research.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenya Honda ◽  
Yuko Sato ◽  
Koji Atarashi ◽  
Damian Plichta ◽  
Yasumichi Arai ◽  
...  

Abstract Centenarians, or individuals who have lived more than a century, represent the ultimate model of successful longevity associated with decreased susceptibility to ageing-associated illness and chronic inflammation. The gut microbiota is considered to be a critical determinant of human health and longevity. Here we show that centenarians (average 107 yo) have a distinct gut microbiome enriched in microbes capable of generating unique secondary bile acids, including iso-, 3-oxo-, and isoallo-lithocholic acid (LCA), as compared to elderly (85-89 yo) and young (21-55 yo) controls. Among these bile acids, the biosynthetic pathway for isoalloLCA had not been described previously. By screening 68 bacterial isolates from a centenarian’s faecal microbiota, we identified Parabacteroides merdae and Odoribacteraceae strains as effective producers of isoalloLCA. Furthermore, we generated and tested mutant strains of P. merdae to show that the enzymes 5α-reductase (5AR) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3βHSDH) were responsible for isoalloLCA production. This secondary bile acid derivative exerted the most potent antimicrobial effects among the tested bile acid compounds against gram-positive (but not gram-negative) multidrug-resistant pathogens, including Clostridioides difficile and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. These findings suggest that specific bile acid metabolism may be involved in reducing the risk of pathobiont infection, thereby potentially contributing to longevity.


2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 6962-6965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kriti Arora ◽  
Bernardo Ochoa-Montaño ◽  
Patricia S. Tsang ◽  
Tom L. Blundell ◽  
Stephanie S. Dawes ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWe report here a series of five chemically diverse scaffolds that havein vitroactivities on replicating and hypoxic nonreplicating bacilli by targeting the respiratorybc1complex inMycobacterium tuberculosisin a strain-dependent manner. Deletion of the cytochromebdoxidase generated a hypersusceptible mutant in which resistance was acquired by a mutation inqcrB. These results highlight the promiscuity of thebc1complex and the risk of targeting energy metabolism with new drugs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (12) ◽  
pp. 6792-6800 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Tam ◽  
Simoun Icho ◽  
Evelyn Utama ◽  
Kathleen E. Orrell ◽  
Rodolfo F. Gómez-Biagi ◽  
...  

Intestinal bile acids are known to modulate the germination and growth ofClostridioides difficile. Here we describe a role for intestinal bile acids in directly binding and neutralizing TcdB toxin, the primary determinant ofC. difficiledisease. We show that individual primary and secondary bile acids reversibly bind and inhibit TcdB to varying degrees through a mechanism that requires the combined oligopeptide repeats region to which no function has previously been ascribed. We find that bile acids induce TcdB into a compact “balled up” conformation that is no longer able to bind cell surface receptors. Lastly, through a high-throughput screen designed to identify bile acid mimetics we uncovered nonsteroidal small molecule scaffolds that bind and inhibit TcdB through a bile acid-like mechanism. In addition to suggesting a role for bile acids inC. difficilepathogenesis, these findings provide a framework for development of a mechanistic class ofC. difficileantitoxins.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document