RNA-Seq Analysis to investigate the impact of hypoxia on the host responses to Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae infection in the human explanted lung

Hypoxia is a common microenvironmental condition in the mucus-obstructed, infected, and inflamed airways of lung disease patients and is known to influence immune responses in the lungs. However, the effects of hypoxia on lung host defence against respiratory bacterial infections relevant to chronic pulmonary disease are less understood. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), an opportunistic respiratory pathogen, frequently colonizes the lower airways of patients with chronic lung diseases and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Human ex vivo lung explants were infected with a clinical strain of NTHi under normoxic and hypoxic conditions for 24 hours. The host response to infection and the effect of hypoxia were investigated using RNA sequencing.