Lactic acid bacteria convert human fibroblasts to multipotent cells.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Cell Biology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• The human gut hosts diverse microbes, including Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), known for probiotic benefits.
• While LAB's role in gut health is studied, their direct impact on eukaryotic cells is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how commensal prokaryotic organisms, specifically LAB, influence eukaryotic cells.
• To demonstrate the generation of multipotent cells from human fibroblasts by incorporating LAB.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of LAB into adult human dermal fibroblast cells.
• Culturing LAB-incorporated cell clusters in vitro and assessing differentiation in vivo.
• Gene expression analysis (microarray) focusing on multipotency markers (NANOG, HOX genes) and senescence markers.

Main Results:

• LAB incorporation generated cell clusters resembling embryoid bodies, capable of differentiating into endodermal, mesodermal, and ectodermal lineages.
• LAB-incorporated cells showed increased NANOG and decreased HOX gene expression, indicative of multipotency.
• Cell clusters entered a state of replicative senescence without cell death.

Conclusions:

• LAB can induce multipotency in human fibroblasts, creating cells with potential for differentiation.
• LAB-induced cell reprogramming offers novel avenues for cell generation and regenerative medicine.
• This discovery highlights a new mechanism of microbe-host cell interaction with therapeutic implications.