Transcriptome Analysis of Arcobacter butzleri Infection in a Mucus-Producing Human Intestinal <i>In Vitro</i> Model
Davide Buzzanca, Valentina Alessandria, Cristian Botta, Negin Seif Zadeh, Ilario Ferrocino, Kurt Houf, Luca Cocolin, Kalliopi Rantsiou
Abstract
model. We confirmed the upregulation of previously proposed virulence genes in the A. butzleri strains. In addition, we identified the differential expression of a number of other genes, which are not currently thought to be associated with virulence, in three A. butzleri strains during infection of mucus-producing human epithelial cells. Changes in the concentration of acetic acid and the upregulation of genes associated with organic acid metabolism during host-pathogen contact were also observed. These findings highlight the importance of previously unreported genes in the virulence mechanisms of A. butzleri.