Early colonizing Escherichia coli elicits remodeling of rat colonic epithelium shifting toward a new homeostatic state.

ABSTRACT: We investigated the effects of early colonizing bacteria on the colonic epithelium. We isolated dominant bacteria, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus intestinalis, Clostridium innocuum and a novel Fusobacterium spp., from the intestinal contents of conventional suckling rats and transferred them in different combinations into germfree (GF) adult rats. Animals were investigated after various times up to 21 days. Proliferative cell markers (Ki67, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, phospho-histone H3, cyclin A) were higher in rats monocolonized with E. coli than in GF at all time points, but not in rats monocolonized with E. faecalis. The mucin content of goblet cells declined shortly after E. coli administration whereas the mucus layer doubled in thickness. Fluorescence

SUBMITTER: Tomas J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4274421 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature