Multi-omics Analyses Reveal Bacteria and Catalase Associate with Keloid Disease
Mengjie Shan, PhD, Meng Xiao, Jiyu Xu, Wei Sun, Zerui Wang, Wenbin Du,
Xiaoyu Liu, Yongsheng Huang, and Youbin Wang
Peking union medical college hospital
Background
Keloids are abnormal scars, but their underlying causes—especially the role of bacteria—are not well understood.
Methods
In this study, we used several advanced techniques (including microbiome analysis, protein analysis, metabolite analysis, and single-cell RNA sequencing) to examine how bacteria affect keloid development.
Results
We found that the bacterial communities in keloid tissue were very different from those in healthy skin. Genetic and protein analyses showed that catalase (CAT)–negative bacteria, especially Clostridium and Roseburia, were more common in keloids than in nearby healthy skin.
Protein analysis also showed that CAT levels were significantly altered in keloid tissue. When CAT levels were increased in keloid fibroblasts, their growth, movement, and invasiveness were reduced. When CAT was decreased, these harmful behaviors increased.
Animal experiments showed similar results: Clostridium butyricum promoted the growth of keloid fibroblasts, while CAT-positive bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis slowed their growth.
Single-cell RNA sequencing further confirmed that oxidative stress was increased and CAT expression was reduced in keloid fibroblasts.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that bacteria and catalase (CAT) play important roles in the development of keloids and may be important targets for future treatments.