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- Edfeldt, Gabriella, et al.
(författare)
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Distinct cervical tissue-adherent and luminal microbiome communities correlate with mucosal host gene expression and protein levels in Kenyan sex workers
- 2023
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Ingår i: Microbiome. - : Springer Nature. - 2049-2618. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The majority of studies characterizing female genital tract microbiota have focused on luminal organisms, while the presence and impact of tissue-adherent ectocervical microbiota remain incompletely understood. Studies of luminal and tissue-associated bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract suggest that these communities may have distinct roles in health and disease. Here, we performed a multi-omics characterization of paired luminal and tissue samples collected from a cohort of Kenyan female sex workers.Results We identified a tissue-adherent bacterial microbiome, with a higher alpha diversity than the luminal microbiome, in which dominant genera overall included Gardnerella and Lactobacillus, followed by Prevotella, Atopobium, and Sneathia. About half of the L. iners-dominated luminal samples had a corresponding Gardnerella-dominated tissue microbiome. Broadly, the tissue-adherent microbiome was associated with fewer differentially expressed host genes than the luminal microbiome. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that L. crispatus-dominated tissue-adherent communities were associated with protein translation and antimicrobial activity, whereas a highly diverse microbial community was associated with epithelial remodeling and pro-inflammatory pathways. Tissue-adherent communities dominated by L. iners and Gardnerella were associated with lower host transcriptional activity. Tissue-adherent microbiomes dominated by Lactobacillus and Gardnerella correlated with host protein profiles associated with epithelial barrier stability, although with a more pro-inflammatory profile for the Gardnerella-dominated microbiome group. Tissue samples with a highly diverse composition had a protein profile representing cell proliferation and pro-inflammatory activity.Conclusion We identified ectocervical tissue-adherent bacterial communities in all study participants of a female sex worker cohort. These communities were distinct from cervicovaginal luminal microbiota in a significant proportion of individuals. We further revealed that bacterial communities at both sites correlated with distinct host gene expression and protein levels. The tissue-adherent bacterial community could possibly act as a reservoir that seed the lumen with less optimal, non-Lactobacillus, bacteria.
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| 3. |
- Edfeldt, Gabriella, et al.
(författare)
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Regular Use of Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Causes Thinning of the Superficial Lining and Apical Distribution of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Target Cells in the Human Ectocervix
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press. - 0022-1899 .- 1537-6613. ; 225:7, s. 1151-1161
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundThe hormonal contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) may be associated with an increased risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We hypothesize that DMPA use influences the ectocervical tissue architecture and HIV target cell localization.MethodsQuantitative image analysis workflows were developed to assess ectocervical tissue samples collected from DMPA users and control subjects not using hormonal contraception.ResultsCompared to controls, the DMPA group exhibited a significantly thinner apical ectocervical epithelial layer and a higher proportion of CD4+CCR5+ cells with a more superficial location. This localization corresponded to an area with a nonintact E-cadherin net structure. CD4+Langerin+ cells were also more superficially located in the DMPA group, although fewer in number compared to the controls. Natural plasma progesterone levels did not correlate with any of these parameters, whereas estradiol levels were positively correlated with E-cadherin expression and a more basal location for HIV target cells of the control group.ConclusionsDMPA users have a less robust epithelial layer and a more apical distribution of HIV target cells in the human ectocervix, which could confer a higher risk of HIV infection. Our results highlight the importance of assessing intact genital tissue samples to gain insights into HIV susceptibility factors.
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| 4. |
- Hasselrot, Tyra, et al.
(författare)
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Vaginal candida infection is associated with host molecular signatures of neutrophil activation in the adjacent ectocervical mucosa in Kenyan sex workers
- 2024
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Ingår i: American Journal of Reproductive Immunology. - 1046-7408 .- 1600-0897. ; 91:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Problem: Overgrowth of candida species in the human vaginal mucosa causes inflammation, which could render the mucosal barrier more susceptible to HIV infection. Here, we investigated whether this condition also affects the ectocervical mucosa, a potential site of HIV entry, in women at high risk of HIV infection.Method of study: Retrospective medical data and ectocervical tissue samples were obtained from a cohort of Kenyan sex workers. Among 108 women, seven had signs of vaginal candida infection by wet smear microscopy and/or the presence of characteristic discharge. Women lacking these two criteria served as controls. Host transcriptomic profiling and quantitative in situ image analysis of epithelial barrier markers and CD4+ cell distribution were performed.Results: The candida group had 162 differentially expressed genes out of 15 435 genes as compared with the control group. Among these 162 genes, 147 were upregulated and 15 were downregulated. Gene expression pathway analysis indicated associations with an upregulated inflammatory response, defined primarily by markers of neutrophil activation. Transcription factor analysis revealed upregulation of pathways related to RELA/REL/NFKB1, JUN and STAT1 in the candida group. In situ image analysis of ectocervical tissue samples showed no differences between groups in terms of epithelial height, expression of epithelial junction proteins (E-cadherin, claudin-1, zonula occludens 1, and desmoglein-1), or epithelial CD4+ cell distribution.Conclusions: Vaginal candida infection was associated with inflammation and neutrophil infiltration, but not with severe epithelial disruption or CD4+ cell infiltration, in the ectocervical mucosa.
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| 5. |
- Rohl, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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HIV-Exposed Seronegative Sex Workers Express Low T-Cell Activation and an Intact Ectocervical Tissue Microenvironment
- 2021
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Ingår i: Vaccines. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-393X. ; 9:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Immunological correlates of natural resistance to HIV have been identified in HIV-exposed seronegative (HESN) individuals and include a low-inflammatory genital mucosal status. The cervicovaginal epithelium has not been studied for such correlates despite constituting an important barrier against sexual HIV transmission. To fill this gap in knowledge, we collected samples of blood, cervical mononuclear cells, cervicovaginal lavage, and ectocervical tissue from Kenyan HESN sex workers (n = 29) and controls (n = 33). The samples were analyzed by flow cytometry, protein profiling, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, in situ image analysis, and tissue-based RNA sequencing. A significantly higher relative proportion of regulatory T cells in blood (B7(+)CD25(hi)FoxP3(+)CD127(lo)CD4(+) and B7(+)Helios(+)FoxP3(+)CD4(+)), and a significantly lower proportion of activated cervical T cells (CCR5(+)CD69(+)CD4(+) and CCR5(+)CD69(+)CD8(+)), were found in the HESN group compared with the controls. In contrast, there were no statistically significant differences between the study groups in cervicovaginal protein and microbiome compositions, ectocervical epithelial thickness, E-cadherin expression, HIV receptor expression, and tissue RNA transcriptional profiles. The identification of an intact ectocervical microenvironment in HESN individuals add new data to current knowledge about natural resistance to sexual transmission of HIV.
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