Microphysiological organ-on-chip models offer the potential to improve the prediction of drug safety and efficacy through recapitulation of human physiological responses. The importance of including multiple cell types within tissue models has been well documented. However, the study of cell interactions in vitro can be limited by complexity of the tissue model and throughput of current culture systems. Here, we describe the development of a co-culture microvascular model and relevant assays in a high-throughput thermoplastic organ-on-chip platform, PREDICT96. The system consists of 96 arrayed bilayer microfluidic devices containing retinal microvascular endothelial cells and pericytes cultured on opposing sides of a microporous membrane. Compatibility of the PREDICT96 platform with a variety of quantifiable and scalable assays, including macromolecular permeability, image-based screening, Luminex, and qPCR, is demonstrated. In addition, the bilayer design of the devices allows for channel- or cell type-specific readouts, such as cytokine profiles and gene expression. The microvascular model was responsive to perturbations including barrier disruption, inflammatory stimulation, and fluid shear stress, and our results corroborated the improved robustness of co-culture over endothelial mono-cultures. We anticipate the PREDICT96 platform and adapted assays will be suitable for other complex tissues, including applications to disease models and drug discovery.

CRISPR-Cas systems, which obstruct both viral infection and incorporation of mobile genetic elements by horizontal transfer, are a specific immune response common to prokaryotes. Antiviral protection by CRISPR-Cas comes at a cost, as horizontally-acquired genes may increase fitness and provide rapid adaptation to habitat change. To date, investigations into the prevalence of CRISPR have primarily focused on pathogenic and clinical bacteria, while less is known about CRISPR dynamics in commensal and environmental species. We designed PCR primers and coupled these with DNA sequencing of products to detect and characterize the presence of cas1, a universal CRISPR-associated gene and proxy for the Type II CRISPR1-Cas system, in environmental and non-clinical Enterococcus isolates. CRISPR1-cas1 was detected in approximately 33% of the 275 strains examined, and differences in CRISPR1 carriage between species was significant. Incidence of cas1 in E. hirae was 73%, nearly three times that of E. faecalis (23.6%) and 10 times more frequent than in E. durans (7.1%). Also, this is the first report of CRISPR1 presence in E. durans, as well as in the plant-associated species E. casseliflavus and E. sulfureus. Significant differences in CRISPR1-cas1 incidence among Enterococcus species support the hypothesis that there is a tradeoff between protection and adaptability. The differences in the habitats of enterococcal species may exert varying selective pressure that results in a species-dependent distribution of CRISPR-Cas systems.

Phage have gained renewed interest as an adjunctive treatment for life-threatening infections with the resistant nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii. Our understanding of how A. baumannii defends against phage remains limited, although this information could lead to improved antimicrobial therapies. To address this problem, we identified genome-wide determinants of phage susceptibility in A. baumannii using Tn-seq. These studies focused on the lytic phage Loki, which targets Acinetobacter by unknown mechanisms. We identified 41 candidate loci that increase susceptibility to Loki when disrupted, and 10 that decrease susceptibility. Combined with spontaneous resistance mapping, our results support the model that Loki uses the K3 capsule as an essential receptor, and that capsule modulation provides A. baumannii with strategies to control vulnerability to phage. A key center of this control is transcriptional regulation of capsule synthesis and phage virulence by the global regulator BfmRS. Mutations hyperactivating BfmRS simultaneously increase capsule levels, Loki adsorption, Loki replication, and host killing, while BfmRS-inactivating mutations have the opposite effect, reducing capsule and blocking Loki infection. We identified novel BfmRS-activating mutations, including knockouts of a T2 RNase protein and the disulfide formation enzyme DsbA, that hypersensitize bacteria to phage challenge. We further found that mutation of a glycosyltransferase known to alter capsule structure and bacterial virulence can also cause complete phage resistance. Finally, additional factors including lipooligosaccharide and Lon protease act independently of capsule modulation to interfere with Loki infection. This work demonstrates that regulatory and structural modulation of capsule, known to alter A. baumannii virulence, is also a major determinant of susceptibility to phage.