The gut microbiota instructs the hepatic endothelial cell transcriptome

• DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103092
• Publication Date: 2021-09-10T06:22:36Z
• Authors: Henning Formes; Joana P. Bernardes; Amrit Mann; Franziska Bayer; Giulia Pontarollo; Klytaimnistra Kio...; Katrin Schäfer; Sebastian Attig; Teodora Nikolova; Thomas G. Hofmann; Jörn M. Schattenberg; Hristo Todorov; Susanne Gerber; Philip Rosenstiel; Tobias Bopp; Felix Sommer; Christoph Reinhardt
• Keywords: Cell Sorting

The gut microbiota affects remote organ functions but its impact on organotypic endothelial cell (EC) transcriptomes remains unexplored. liver endothelium encounters microbiota-derived signals and metabolites via the portal circulation. To pinpoint how commensals affect hepatic sinusoidal endothelium, a magnetic sorting protocol, combined with fluorescence-activated sorting, was used to isolate ECs from germ-free (GF) conventionally raised (CONV-R) mice for transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing. This resulted in comprehensive map of microbiota-regulated EC-specific profiles. Gene Ontology revealed that several functional processes were affected. absence influenced expression genes involved cholesterol flux angiogenesis. Specifically, functioning sphingosine metabolism sphingosine-1-phosphate pathway showed drastically increased GF state. Our analyses reveal prominent role shaping transcriptional landscape endothelium.