Effects of bile acid exposure on gene expression in oesophageal epithelial cells

To investigate the molecular effects of reflux-associated injury, human oesophageal epithelial cells (Het1A) were exposed to bile acids and analysed by RNA sequencing. Chronic bile acid exposure induced transcriptional changes associated with innate immune activation, type I interferon signalling, TGF-β responses, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Differential gene expression profiles were compared with publicly available SSc oesophageal transcriptomic datasets to identify shared disease-associated pathways. These data provide insight into the molecular mechanisms by which bile acid-induced epithelial injury may contribute to oesophageal pathology in systemic sclerosis.