Project description:We used 16S V3/V4 region amplification to evaluate the composition of bacteria species in mouse fecal pellets. Fecel pellets were collected from young-adult (12 weeks old) wild type C57Bl/6 mice and aged (72 weeks old) wild type C57Bl/6 mice after 21 days of vehicle or antibiotics treatment (to induce gut microbiota depletion). In one sequencing round, we sequenced a total of 12 different fecal samples (3 young control, 3 aged control, 3 young depleted gut microbiota (ABX) and 3 aged depleted gut microbiota (ABX)). Amplicons were indexed using the Nextera XT Index Kit and pooled into a library for Illumina sequencing.
Project description:Analysis of breast cancer survivors' gut microbiota after lifestyle intervention, during the COVID-19 lockdown, by 16S sequencing of fecal samples.
Project description:Inappropriate cross talk between mammals and their gut microbiota may trigger intestinal inflammation and drive extra-intestinal immune-mediated diseases. Studies with germ-free or gnotobiotic animals represent the gold standard for research on bacterial-host interaction but they are not readily accessible to the wide scientific community. We aimed at refining a protocol that in a robust manner would deplete murine intestinal microbiota and prove to have significant biologic validity. Previously published protocols for depleting mice of their intestinal microbiota by administering broad-spectrum antibiotics in drinking water were difficult to reproduce. We show that twice daily delivery of antibiotics by gavage depleted mice of their cultivable fecal microbiota and reduced the fecal bacterial DNA load by approximately 400 fold while ensuring the animals’ health. Mice subjected to the protocol for 17 days displayed enlarged ceca, reduced Peyer’s patches and small spleens. Antibiotic treatment significantly reduced the expression of antimicrobial factors and altered the expression of 517 genes in total in the colonic epithelium. Genes involved in cell cycle were significantly altered concomitant with reduced epithelial proliferative activity in situ assessed by Ki-67 expression, suggesting that commensal microbiota drives cellular proliferation in colonic epithelium. We present a robust protocol for depleting mice of their cultivatable intestinal microbiota with antibiotics by gavage and show that the biological effect of this depletion is phenotypic characteristics and epithelial gene expression profile similar to those of germ-free mice. Comparison of genome-wide gene expression of colon intestinal epithelial cells from mice subjected to microbiota depletion protocol against to control mice.
