Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Associated Gut Commensals Degrade Components of the Extracellular Matrix
Ana Maria Porras, Hao Zhou, Qiaojuan Shi, Xieyue Xiao, JRI Live Cell Bank, Randy Longman, Ilana Brito
Abstract
Healthy gut epithelial cells form a barrier that keeps bacteria and other substances from entering the blood or tissues of the body. Those cells sit on scaffolding that maintains the structure of the gut and informs our immune system about the integrity of this barrier. In patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), breaks are formed in this cellular barrier, and bacteria gain access to the underlying tissue and scaffolding. In our study, we discovered that bacteria that normally reside in the gut can modify and disassemble the underlying scaffolding. Additionally, we discovered that changes to this scaffolding affect the onset of IBD in mouse models of colitis as well as the abilities of these mice to recover. We propose that this new information will reveal how breaks in the gut wall lead to IBD and will open up new avenues by which to treat patients with IBD.