Abstract
Heyndrickxia coagulans (formerly Bacillus coagulans) has been increasingly utilized as an immunomodulatory probiotics. Oral administration of H. coagulans HOM5301 significantly boosted both innate and adaptive immunity in mice, particularly by increasing the phagocytic capacity of monocytes/macrophages. Lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a major microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP) in Gram-positive bacteria, exhibits differential immunomodulatory effects due to its structural heterogeneity. We extracted, purified, and characterized LTA from H. coagulans HOM5301. The results showed that HOM5301 LTA consists of a glycerophosphate backbone. Its molecular weight is in the range of 10-16 kDa. HOM5301 LTA induced greater productions of nitric oxide, TNFα, and IL-6 in RAW 264.7 macrophages compared to Staphylococcus aureus LTA. Comparative transcriptome and proteome analyses identified the differentially expressed genes and proteins triggered by HOM5301 LTA. KEGG analyses revealed that HOM5301 LTA transcriptionally and translationally activated macrophages through two immune-related pathways: cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction and phagosome formation. Protein-protein interaction network analysis indicated that the pro-inflammatory response elicited by HOM5301 LTA was TLR2-dependent, possibly requiring the coreceptor CD14, and is mediated via the MAPK and NF-kappaB pathways. Our results demonstrate that LTA is an important MAMP of H. coagulans HOM5301 that boosts immune responses, suggesting that HOM5301 LTA may be a promising immunoadjuvant.