The composition of the gut microbiota shapes the colon mucus barrier
Jakobsson, Hedvig E. ; Rodríguez-Piñeiro, Ana M. ; Schütte, André ; Ermund, Anna ; Boysen, Preben ; Bemark, Mats LU
; Sommer, Felix
; Bäckhed, Fredrik
; Hansson, Gunnar C.
and Johansson, Malin E.V.
(2015)
In EMBO Reports
16(2).
p.164-177
- Abstract
Two C57BL/6 mice colonies maintained in two rooms of the same specific pathogen-free (SPF) facility were found to have different gut microbiota and a mucus phenotype that was specific for each colony. The thickness and growth of the colon mucus were similar in the two colonies. However, one colony had mucus that was impenetrable to bacteria or beads the size of bacteria - which is comparable to what we observed in free-living wild mice - whereas the other colony had an inner mucus layer penetrable to bacteria and beads. The different properties of the mucus depended on the microbiota, as they were transmissible by transfer of caecal microbiota to germ-free mice. Mice with an impenetrable mucus layer had increased amounts of... (More)
Two C57BL/6 mice colonies maintained in two rooms of the same specific pathogen-free (SPF) facility were found to have different gut microbiota and a mucus phenotype that was specific for each colony. The thickness and growth of the colon mucus were similar in the two colonies. However, one colony had mucus that was impenetrable to bacteria or beads the size of bacteria - which is comparable to what we observed in free-living wild mice - whereas the other colony had an inner mucus layer penetrable to bacteria and beads. The different properties of the mucus depended on the microbiota, as they were transmissible by transfer of caecal microbiota to germ-free mice. Mice with an impenetrable mucus layer had increased amounts of Erysipelotrichi, whereas mice with a penetrable mucus layer had higher levels of Proteobacteria and TM7 bacteria in the distal colon mucus. Thus, our study shows that bacteria and their community structure affect mucus barrier properties in ways that can have implications for health and disease. It also highlights that genetically identical animals housed in the same facility can have rather distinct microbiotas and barrier structures. Synopsis Mice of the same strain living in the same animal facility can have distinct microbiotas, which affects the penetrability of the colon mucus barrier in a transmissible manner. Free-living mice have impenetrable mucus, as one of the experimental groups. The colon microbiota influences the penetrability of the inner mucus layer. Certain bacteria are associated with a more penetrable inner mucus layer. The mucus phenotype was transmissible by transfer of the microbiota to germ-free mice. Mice of the same strain living in the same animal facility can have distinct microbiotas, which affects the penetrability of the colon mucus barrier in a transmissible manner. Free-living mice have impenetrable mucus, as one of the experimental groups.
(Less)
- author
- Jakobsson, Hedvig E.
; Rodríguez-Piñeiro, Ana M.
; Schütte, André
; Ermund, Anna
; Boysen, Preben
; Bemark, Mats
LU
; Sommer, Felix
; Bäckhed, Fredrik
; Hansson, Gunnar C.
and Johansson, Malin E.V.
- publishing date
- 2015-02-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- keywords
- Bacteria, Colon, Intestine, MUC2, Mucus
- in
- EMBO Reports
- volume
- 16
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 164 - 177
- publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:25525071
- scopus:84922160830
- ISSN
- 1469-221X
- DOI
- 10.15252/embr.201439263
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2014 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY NC ND 4.0 license.
- id
- 7a0141d3-a5b7-4698-8bfd-411e57f78cf6
- date added to LUP
- 2023-12-06 17:00:23
- date last changed
- 2024-04-19 12:37:19
@article{7a0141d3-a5b7-4698-8bfd-411e57f78cf6,
abstract = {{<p>Two C57BL/6 mice colonies maintained in two rooms of the same specific pathogen-free (SPF) facility were found to have different gut microbiota and a mucus phenotype that was specific for each colony. The thickness and growth of the colon mucus were similar in the two colonies. However, one colony had mucus that was impenetrable to bacteria or beads the size of bacteria - which is comparable to what we observed in free-living wild mice - whereas the other colony had an inner mucus layer penetrable to bacteria and beads. The different properties of the mucus depended on the microbiota, as they were transmissible by transfer of caecal microbiota to germ-free mice. Mice with an impenetrable mucus layer had increased amounts of Erysipelotrichi, whereas mice with a penetrable mucus layer had higher levels of Proteobacteria and TM7 bacteria in the distal colon mucus. Thus, our study shows that bacteria and their community structure affect mucus barrier properties in ways that can have implications for health and disease. It also highlights that genetically identical animals housed in the same facility can have rather distinct microbiotas and barrier structures. Synopsis Mice of the same strain living in the same animal facility can have distinct microbiotas, which affects the penetrability of the colon mucus barrier in a transmissible manner. Free-living mice have impenetrable mucus, as one of the experimental groups. The colon microbiota influences the penetrability of the inner mucus layer. Certain bacteria are associated with a more penetrable inner mucus layer. The mucus phenotype was transmissible by transfer of the microbiota to germ-free mice. Mice of the same strain living in the same animal facility can have distinct microbiotas, which affects the penetrability of the colon mucus barrier in a transmissible manner. Free-living mice have impenetrable mucus, as one of the experimental groups.</p>}},
author = {{Jakobsson, Hedvig E. and Rodríguez-Piñeiro, Ana M. and Schütte, André and Ermund, Anna and Boysen, Preben and Bemark, Mats and Sommer, Felix and Bäckhed, Fredrik and Hansson, Gunnar C. and Johansson, Malin E.V.}},
issn = {{1469-221X}},
keywords = {{Bacteria; Colon; Intestine; MUC2; Mucus}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{02}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{164--177}},
publisher = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
series = {{EMBO Reports}},
title = {{The composition of the gut microbiota shapes the colon mucus barrier}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.15252/embr.201439263}},
doi = {{10.15252/embr.201439263}},
volume = {{16}},
year = {{2015}},
}