Lactobacillus casei extracellular vesicles stimulate EGFR pathway likely due to the presence of proteins P40 and P75 bound to their surface

In the complex interplay of beneficial bacteria with the host, there are few examples of bacterial metabolites and effector molecules that have been consistently identified. Protective effects on the intestinal epithelium have been ascribed to P40 and P75, two well characterized cell wall muramidases, present in the culture supernatant of strains belonging to the taxon Lactobacillus casei/paracasei/rhamnosus. This work reports that Lactobacillus casei BL23 extracellular vesicles (BL23 EVs) have a small size (17–20 nm or 24–32 nm, depending on the method used) and contain lipoteichoic acid (LTA). Interestingly, all detected P40 and most of P75 were associated to EVs and possibly located at their external surface, as shown by proteinase K digestion. Biosensor assays showed that both proteins bind LTA and vesicles, suggesting that they could bind to ligands like LTA present on BL23 EVs. Native BL23 EVs have a moderate proinflammatory effect and they were able to induce phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), showing an effect similar to purified P40 and P75 and leading to the conclusion that the activity described in the supernatant (postbiotic) of these bacteria would be mainly due to P40 and P75 bound to EVs.