This research proposal describes a 5-year mentored research project that has the goal of understanding how commensal bacteria impact the intestinal innate immune system. This project will build upon the principal investigator's background in microbiology, mucosal immunology, and infectious diseases. Successful completion of the research project will enable the principal investigator to gain the skills needed to secure independent funding and transition into an independent physician-scientist who continues to focus on the nexus between host-commensal interactions and the immune system. A combination of didactic and practical training detailed in the comprehensive career development plan will provide the principal investigator with an enhanced background in host-bacterial relationships, training in the analysis and interpretation of large datasets (e.g., next-generation sequencing and gene expression-profiling data), and increased experience working with gnotobiotic mice. The proposed research will take place at Harvard Medical School in the laboratory of Dr. Dennis Kasper-a world leader in studying the interface between commensal bacteria and host immunity; the research work will benefit from the availability within the Harvard community of abundant scientific resources and numerous colleagues with expertise in all fields related to the proposed work. The proposed research aims to identify novel immunomodulatory commensal bacteria. Although it has been known for more than half a century that commensal organisms-which are 10 times more abundant than host cells in the human body-are critical for proper development of the host immune system, only 4 commensal bacteria with immunomodulatory properties have been identified thus far; all of these examples affect the adaptive immune system specifically. This proposal aims to use a novel strategy of co-housing gnotobiotic mice that differ in their bacteria and the maturation state of their intestinal immune system to bioinformatically identify bacteria that are able to modulate innate immune responses. Clonally arrayed, taxonomically defined culture collections will be derived from relevant mouse strains and will allow the immunomodulatory effects of these commensal organisms to be validated. Finally, gene expression-profiling and immunophenotyping experiments will characterize the immunological changes induced by these bacteria. Ultimately, these experiments will shed light on the interplay between the microbiota and the innate immune system and offer insight into the veracity of the hygiene hypothesis. Moreover, identification of specific immunomodulatory bacteria offers the potential of novel therapies for a variety of inflammatory conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.

Public Health Relevance

Bacteria that are normally found in and on the human body are thought to be critical for proper development of the immune system. This project aims to identify specific, cultivable bacteria that are able to modulate host immune responses and characterize the induced immunological changes. Identification of specific immunomodulatory bacteria offers the potential of novel therapies for a variety of inflammatory conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Clinical Investigator Award (CIA) (K08)
Project #
5K08AI108690-02
Application #
8791300
Study Section
Allergy & Clinical Immunology-1 (AITC)
Program Officer
Prograis, Lawrence J
Project Start
2014-01-17
Project End
2018-12-31
Budget Start
2015-01-01
Budget End
2015-12-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
$179,631
Indirect Cost
$13,306
Name
Children's Hospital Boston
Department
Type
DUNS #
076593722
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Olszewski, Aleksandra E; Karandikar, Manjiree V; Surana, Neeraj K (2017) Aeromonas as a Cause of Purulent Folliculitis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc 6:e1-e3
Mehrotra, Preeti; Quinonez, Luis G; Surana, Neeraj K et al. (2017) Clinical Utility of Preimplantation Homograft Cultures in Patients Undergoing Congenital Cardiac Surgery. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc 6:202-204
Stefan, Kailyn L; Fink, Avner; Surana, Neeraj K et al. (2017) Type I interferon signaling restrains IL-10R+ colonic macrophages and dendritic cells and leads to more severe Salmonella colitis. PLoS One 12:e0188600
Surana, Neeraj K; Kasper, Dennis L (2017) Moving beyond microbiome-wide associations to causal microbe identification. Nature 552:244-247
Couter, Cheryn J; Surana, Neeraj K (2016) Isolation and Flow Cytometric Characterization of Murine Small Intestinal Lymphocytes. J Vis Exp :
Kugadas, Abirami; Christiansen, Stig Hill; Sankaranarayanan, Saiprasad et al. (2016) Impact of Microbiota on Resistance to Ocular Pseudomonas aeruginosa-Induced Keratitis. PLoS Pathog 12:e1005855
Gauguet, Stefanie; D'Ortona, Samantha; Ahnger-Pier, Kathryn et al. (2015) Intestinal Microbiota of Mice Influences Resistance to Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia. Infect Immun 83:4003-14
Surana, Neeraj K; Kasper, Dennis L (2014) Deciphering the tête-à-tête between the microbiota and the immune system. J Clin Invest 124:4197-203