RT Journal Article
T1 An in vitro neurobacterial interface reveals direct modulation of neuronal function by gut bacteria
A1 Lombardo Hernández, Juan
A1 Mansilla Guardiola, Jesús
A1 Aucello, Riccardo
A1 Botta, Cristian
A1 García Esteban, María Teresa
A1 Murciano Cespedosa, Antonio
A1 Muñoz Rodríguez, David
A1 Quarta, Elisa
A1 Mateos González, Álvaro
A1 Juan Llamas, María Del Carmen
A1 Rantsiou, Kalliopi
A1 Geuna, Stefano
A1 Cocolin, Luca
A1 Herrera Rincón, Celia
AB Interactions between bacteria and somatic cells are increasingly important for understanding cellular communication mechanisms. While the gut microbiome’s influence on the gut–brain axis is established, direct interactions between bacteria and neurons are poorly explored, especially regarding bidirectional information exchange. We developed an in vitro model using the foodborne bacterium Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and rat cortical neural cultures to study neuronal responses to bacterial presence through morphological, functional, and transcriptomic analyses. We found that L. plantarum adheres to neuronal surfaces without penetrating the soma. Real-time calcium imaging showed enhanced Ca2⁺ signaling dependent on bacterial concentration and active metabolism. Neurons exhibited changes in neuroplasticity-related proteins such as Synapsin I and pCREB, indicating functional modulation. Transcriptomic profiling revealed significant gene expression changes affecting networks linked to neurological conditions and bioelectrical signaling. Together, our results provide proof-of-concept for targeted neuronal responses induced by bacterial contact, offering key resources and transcriptomic data to advance the study of bacteria-driven neural modulation within the gut–brain axis.
PB Springer Nature
SN 2045-2322
YR 2025
FD 2025-07-15
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/123459
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/123459
LA eng
NO Lombardo-Hernandez, J., Mansilla-Guardiola, J., Aucello, R., Botta, C., García-Esteban, M. T., Murciano-Cespedosa, A., Muñoz-Rodríguez, D., Quarta, E., Mateos González, Á., Juan-Llamas, C., Rantsiou, K., Geuna, S., Cocolin, L., & Herrera-Rincon, C. (2025). An in vitro neurobacterial interface reveals direct modulation of neuronal function by gut bacteria. Scientific Reports, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/S41598-025-10382-7
NO This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through PID2023-147361NA-I00 and the Ramón y Cajal program (RYC2020-029499-I, from the MICINN, FSE/ Agencia Estatal de Investigación) to C. H-R. The work has been funded also by the Complutense University of Madrid (Research Project PR3/23- 30827) to C. H-R. We gratefully acknowledge support of the Spanish Ministry of Universities FPU Predoctoral Fellowship to J.L.-H.  (FPU23/02273).
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
NO European Commission
NO Universidad Complutense de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 21 dic 2025