Background & Aims: Mounting evidence suggests the gastrointestinal microbiome is a determinant of peripheral immunity and central neurodegeneration, but the local disease mechanisms remain unknown. Given its potential relevance for early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention, we set out to map the pathogenic changes induced by bacterial amyloids in the gastrointestinal tract and its enteric nervous system.
Methods: To examine the early response, we challenged primary murine myenteric networks with curli, the prototypical bacterial amyloid, and performed shotgun RNA sequencing and multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.