Resumen de Identification of the role of toxin B in the virulence of Clostridioides difficile based on integrated bioinformatics analyses
Yan Gao, Weihu Gao, Jingwei Cheng, Liyan Ma, Jianrong Su
Purpose Clostridioides difficile toxin B (TcdB) plays a critical role in C. difficile infection (CDI), a common and costly healthcare-associated disease. The aim of the current study was to explore the intracellular and potent systemic effects of TcdB on human colon epithelial cells utilizing Gene Expression Omnibus and bioinformatic methods.
Methods Two datasets (GSE63880 and GSE29008) were collected to extract data components of mRNA of TcdB-treated human colon epithelial cells; “limma” package of “R” software was used to screen the differential genes, and “pheatmap” package was applied to construct heat maps for the differential genes; Metascape website was utilized for protein–protein interaction network and Molecular Complex Detection analysis, and Genome Ontology (GO) was used to analyze the selected differential genes. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were performed to validate the expression of hub genes.
Results GO terms involved in DNA replication and cell cycle were identified significantly enriched in TcdB-treated human colon epithelial cells. Moreover, the decreased expression of DNA replication–related genes, MCM complex, and CDC45 in C. difficile (TcdA−/TcdB+)-infected Caco-2 cells were validated via qRT-PCR and Western blot assays.
Conclusions In conclusion, the integrated analysis of different gene expression datasets allowed us to identify a set of genes and GO terms underlying the mechanisms of CDI induced by TcdB. It would aid in understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying TcdB-exposed colon epithelial cells and provide the basis for developing diagnosis biomarkers, treatment, and prevention strategies.
