Defining the early stages of intestinal colonisation by whipworms

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29334-0
• Publication Date: 2022-04-01T10:22:14Z
• Authors: María A. Duque-Co...; David Goulding; Faye H. Rodgers; J. Andrew Gillis; Claire Cormie; Kate A. Rawlinson; Allison J. Bancroft; Hayley M. Bennett; Magda E. Lotkowska; Adam J. Reid; Anneliese O. Speak; Paul Scott; Nicholas Redshaw; Charlotte Tolley; Catherine McCarthy; Cordelia Brandt; Catherine Sharpe; Caroline Ridley; Judit Gali Moya; Claudia M. Carneiro; Tobias Starborg; Kelly S. Hayes; Nancy Holroyd; Mandy Sanders; David J. Thornton; Richard K. Grencis; Matthew Berriman
• Keywords: Trichuris; Intestinal epithelium

Whipworms are large metazoan parasites that inhabit multi-intracellular epithelial tunnels in the intestine of their hosts, causing chronic disease humans and other mammals. How first-stage larvae invade host epithelia establish infection remains unclear. Here we investigate early events using both Trichuris muris infections mice murine caecaloids, first in-vitro system for whipworm organoid model live helminths. We show degrade mucus layers to access cells. In syncytial tunnels, completely intracellular, woven through multiple dividing Using single-cell RNA sequencing infected mouse caecum, reveal progression results cell damage an expansion enterocytes expressing Isg15, potentially instigating immune response tissue repair. Our unravel intestinal epithelium invasion by whipworms specific host-parasite interactions allow its niche.