Pili-like proteins of Akkermansia muciniphila modulate host immune responses and gut barrier function

PLoS One. 2017 Mar 1;12(3):e0173004. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173004. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Gut barrier function is key in maintaining a balanced response between the host and its microbiome. The microbiota can modulate changes in gut barrier as well as metabolic and inflammatory responses. This highly complex system involves numerous microbiota-derived factors. The gut symbiont Akkermansia muciniphila is positively correlated with a lean phenotype, reduced body weight gain, amelioration of metabolic responses and restoration of gut barrier function by modulation of mucus layer thickness. However, the molecular mechanisms behind its metabolic and immunological regulatory properties are unexplored. Herein, we identify a highly abundant outer membrane pili-like protein of A. muciniphila MucT that is directly involved in immune regulation and enhancement of trans-epithelial resistance. The purified Amuc_1100 protein and enrichments containing all its associated proteins induced production of specific cytokines through activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4. This mainly leads to high levels of IL-10 similar to those induced by the other beneficial immune suppressive microorganisms such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii A2-165 and Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1. Together these results indicate that outer membrane protein composition and particularly the newly identified highly abundant pili-like protein Amuc_1100 of A. muciniphila are involved in host immunological homeostasis at the gut mucosa, and improvement of gut barrier function.

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / immunology*
  • Cell Line
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cytokines / genetics
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome
  • Humans
  • Intestinal Mucosa / immunology*
  • Intestinal Mucosa / microbiology
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2 / genetics
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2 / metabolism
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4 / genetics
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4 / metabolism
  • Verrucomicrobia / immunology*
  • Verrucomicrobia / pathogenicity

Substances

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
  • Cytokines
  • TLR2 protein, human
  • TLR4 protein, human
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Advanced Research Grant 250172 (MicrobesInside) of the European Research Council (https://erc.europa.eu/) to WMdV, the Gravity (SIAM) and Spinoza grants of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO, http://www.nwo.nl/en) to WMdV, the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013, https://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/) under grant agreement n°215553-2 to NO, and the Finland Academy of Sciences (http://www.aka.fi/en) (138902 & 258439 to RS, 252803 to JR, 141130 to WMdV). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.