RNA sequencing of nasal lavage samples from mock- and Streptococcus pneumoniae-infected infant mice

Host immune pathways that prevent persistent colonization remain poorly understood. Here, we examined how IL-1R and IL-17RA signaling shape host transcriptional responses during pneumococcal colonization of the upper respiratory tract.

Using a mouse model of Spn colonization, we performed bulk RNA-sequencing on nasal lavages from mock-treated and Spn-colonized wild-type, Il1r1-/- and Il17ra-/- mice. In wild-type mice, colonization induced robust upregulation of inflammatory and innate immune gene programs, whereas many of these responses were attenuated in Il1r1-/- and Il17ra-/- mice. Taken together, this analysis demonstrates that IL-1R and IL-17RA signaling are required for full activation of host transcriptional responses that limit persistent Spn colonization.