Gene expression profiling of primary human type I alveolar epithelial cells exposed to Bacillus anthracis spores reveals induction of neutrophil and monocyte chemokines (original) (raw)

2018, Microbial pathogenesis

The lung is the entry site for Bacillus anthracis in inhalation anthrax, the most deadly form of the disease. Spores must escape through the alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) barrier and migrate to regional lymph nodes, germinate and enter the circulatory system to cause disease. Several mechanisms to explain alveolar escape have been postulated, and all these tacitly involve the AEC barrier. In this study, we incorporate our primary human type I AEC model, microarray and gene enrichment analysis, qRT-PCR, multiplex ELISA, and neutrophil and monocyte chemotaxis assays to study the response of AEC to B. anthracis, (Sterne) spores at 4 and 24 h post-exposure. Spore exposure altered gene expression in AEC after 4 and 24 h and differentially expressed genes (±1.3 fold, p ≤ 0.05) included CCL4/MIP-1β (4 h), CXCL8/IL-8 (4 and 24 h) and CXCL5/ENA-78 (24 h). Gene enrichment analysis revealed that pathways involving cytokine or chemokine activity, receptor binding, and innate immune responses t...