The nasal mutualist Dolosigranulum pigrum AMBR11 supports homeostasis via multiple mechanisms
Ilke De Boeck,
Stijn Wittouck,
Katleen Martens,
Irina Spacova,
Eline Cauwenberghs,
Camille Nina Allonsius,
Jennifer Jörissen,
Sander Wuyts,
Wannes Van Beeck,
Jelle Dillen,
Peter A. Bron,
Brecht Steelant,
Peter W. Hellings,
Olivier M. Vanderveken,
Sarah Lebeer
Affiliations
Ilke De Boeck
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Stijn Wittouck
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Katleen Martens
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium; KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Research Unit, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Irina Spacova
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Eline Cauwenberghs
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Camille Nina Allonsius
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Jennifer Jörissen
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Sander Wuyts
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Wannes Van Beeck
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Jelle Dillen
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Peter A. Bron
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Brecht Steelant
KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Research Unit, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Peter W. Hellings
KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Research Unit, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Clinical Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Olivier M. Vanderveken
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Translational Neurosciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; ENT, Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Disorders, Antwerp University Hospital, 2650 Edegem, Belgium
Sarah Lebeer
Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium; Corresponding author
Summary: Comparing the nasal microbiome of healthy individuals and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients revealed Dolosigranulum pigrum as a species clearly associated with nasal health, although isolates obtained from healthy individuals are scarce. In this study, we explored the properties of this understudied lactic acid bacterium by integrating comparative genomics, habitat mining, cultivation, and functional characterization of interaction capacities. Mining 10.000 samples from the Earth Microbiome Project of 17 habitat types revealed that Dolosigranulum is mainly associated with the human nasal cavity. D. pigrum AMBR11 isolated from the nose of a healthy individual exerted antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, decreased proinflammatory cytokine production in airway epithelial cells, and Galleria mellonella larvae mortality induced by this important nasal pathobiont. Furthermore, the strain protected the nasal barrier function in a mouse model using interleukin-4 as disruptive cytokine. Hence, D. pigrum AMBR11 is a mutualist with high potential as topical live biotherapeutic product.
