Species- and strain-effects in interferon, innate immunity, and barrier transcriptional response of microbiome interactions of 3D respiratory epithelial cultures

Abstract

The microbiome modulates the respiratory epitheliums immunomodulatory functions. To explore how the microbiomes biodiversity affects microbe-epithelial interactions, we screened 58 phylogenetically diverse microbes for their transcriptomic effect on tracheobronchial air-liquid interface cell (ALI) cultures. We found distinct species- and strain-level differences in host innate immunity, and epithelial barrier response. Strikingly, we found that host interferon, an antiviral immune response, was one of the most variable host processes, and this variability was not driven by microbial phylogenetic diversity, bioburden, nor by the microbes ability to stimulate other innate immunity pathways. Our study provides a foundation for understanding how the respiratory microbiomes biodiversity affects epithelial, and particularly, antiviral innate immunity.