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Updated: Sep 26, 2025
A Co-culture Method to Investigate the Crosstalk Between X-ray Irradiated Caco-2 Cells and PBMC
Published on: January 30, 2018
Modulation of microRNAs and claudin-7 in Caco-2 cell line treated with Blastocystis sp., subtype 3 soluble total
Hanieh Mohammad Rahimi1, Abbas Yadegar1, Hamid Asadzadeh Aghdaei2
1Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Background:
Blastocystis sp., is a eukaryote of the large intestine, which is reported from almost all countries. The pathogenesis of this protist is not clear. The current study aimed to analyze the effects of Blastocystis sp., ST3 soluble total antigen (B3STA) on the microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in the gut permeability and also pro-inflammatory cytokines, occludin, and claudin-7.
Methods:
Blastocystis sp., ST3 isolated from stool sample was purified, and its soluble total antigen was extracted using freeze and thawing. The Caco-2 cell line was treated with B3STA for 24 h and the expression levels of mir-16, mir-21, mir-29a, mir-223, and mir-874 were analyzed. In addition, the expression levels of il-8, il-15, occludin, and claudin-7 genes were assessed.
Results:
B3STA significantly upregulated the expression of mir-223, and mir-874, and downregulated mir-29a. The expression of mir-16 and mir-21 was not significant. In addition, the expression of il-8 and il-15 was not significant. B3STA significantly decreased the expression level of claudin-7 (P-value < 0.0001), but the expression of occludin was not significant. Our results showed significant correlation between all studied miRNAs, except mir-29a, with downregulation of claudin-7.
Conclusions:
This is the first study investigating the effects of Blastocystis sp., ST3 isolated from symptomatic subjects on the expression levels of miRNAs involved in the gut permeability. Our results demonstrated that B3STA may change miRNA expression, which are involved in the gut barrier integrity, and downregulates claudin-7, which is known as sealing factor.
