Evaluating Bacterial Pathogenesis Using a Model of Human Airway Organoids Infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms
Mingxing Tang, Shumin Liao, Jing Qu, Yixin Liu, Shuhong Han, Zhao Cai, Yunping Fan, Liang Yang, Shuo Li, Liang Li
Abstract
Human airway organoids (HAOs) are an organotypic model of human airway mucociliary epithelium. The HAOs can closely resemble their origin organ in terms of epithelium architecture and physiological function. Accumulating studies have revealed the great values of the HAO cultures in host-pathogen interaction research. In this study, HAOs were used as a host model to grow Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm, which is one of the most common pathogens found in pulmonary infection cases. Dual transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analyses showed that the cocultures have changed the gene expression pattern of both sides significantly and simultaneously. Bacterial quorum sensing (QS), the most upregulated pathway, contributed greatly to biofilm formation, disruption of barrier function, and subversion of host immune responses. Our study therefore provides a global insight into the transcriptomic responses of both P. aeruginosa and human airway epithelium.