Project description:The breast milk plays a crucial role in shaping the initial intestinal microbiota and mucosal immunity of the infant. Interestingly, breastfeeding has proven to be protective against the early onset of immune-mediated diseases including type 1 diabetes (T1D). Studies have shown that exosomes from human breast milk (HM) are enriched in immune-modulating miRNAs suggesting that exosomal miRNAs transferred to the infant could play a critical role in the development of the infant’s immune system. In this study, we extracted exosome exosomal microRNAs (exomiRs) from breast milk of type 1 diabetic and healthy lactating mothers, in order to identify any differences in the exomiR content between the two groups
Project description:Accurate postmortem estimation of breastfeeding status for archaeological or forensic neonatal remains is difficult. Confident identification of milk-specific proteins associated with these remains, would provide direct evidence of breastmilk consumption. We used liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS) to confidently identify beta-lactoglobulin-1 (LGB1) and whey acidic protein (WAP), major whey proteins associated with a neonatal dog (Canis lupus familiaris) skeleton (430–960 cal AD), from an archaeological site in Hokkaido, Japan. The age at death of the individual was estimated to be approximately two weeks after birth. Protein residues extracted from rib and vertebra fragments were analyzed and identified by matching tandem MS spectra against the dog reference proteome. A total of 200 dog protein groups were detected and at least 1 peptide from canine LGB1 and two peptides from canine WAP were confidently identified. These milk proteins most probably originated from the mother’s breastmilk, ingested by the neonate just before it died. We suggest the milk diffused outside the digestive apparatus during decomposition, and by being absorbed into the bones, it partially preserved. The result of this study suggests that proteomic analysis can be used for postmortem reconstruction of the breastfeeding status at the time of death of neonatal mammalian, by analyzing their skeletal archaeological remains. This method is also applicable to forensic and wildlife studies.
Project description:Maintenance of intestinal homeostasis requires a healthy relationship between the commensal gut microbiota and the host immune system. Breast milk supplies the first source of antigen-specific immune protection in the gastrointestinal tract of suckling mammals, in the form of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA). SIgA is transported across glandular and mucosal epithelial cells into external secretions by the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR). Here, a breeding scheme with pIgR-sufficient and -deficient mice was used to study the effects of breast milk-derived SIgA on development of the gut microbiota and host intestinal immunity. Early exposure to maternal SIgA prevented the translocation of aerobic bacteria from the neonatal gut into draining lymph nodes, including the opportunistic pathogen Ochrobactrum anthropi. By the age of weaning, mice that received maternal SIgA in breast milk had a significantly different gut microbiota from mice that did not receive SIgA, and these differences were magnified when the mice reached adulthood. Early exposure to SIgA in breast milk resulted in a pattern of intestinal epithelial cell gene expression in adult mice that differed from that of mice that were not exposed to passive SIgA, including genes associated with intestinal inflammatory diseases in humans. Maternal SIgA was also found to ameliorate colonic damage caused by the epithelial-disrupting agent dextran sulfate sodium. These findings reveal unique mechanisms through which SIgA in breast milk may promote lifelong intestinal homeostasis, and provide additional evidence for the benefits of breastfeeding. We used microarrays to determine the effects of passive and active secretory IgA, in the presence or absence of the epithelial-disrupting agent dextran sulfate sodium, on gene expression in intestinal epithelial cells of mice
Project description:Human breast milk contains a diverse community of bacteria but factors that produce variation in the breast milk microbiome are largely unknown. We evaluated if 1) maternal factors including breastfeeding practices modified the diversity and abundance of bacterial communities in breast milk and 2) if subclinical mastitis (SCM), an asymptomatic inflammatory condition occurring during lactation, induced a distinctive microbiota signature.
Project description:The benefits of breastfeeding infants are well characterized, including those on the immune system. However, determining the mechanism by which human breast milk (HBM) elicits effects on immune response requires investigation in an appropriate animal model. In the current study we used neonatal piglets and compared their gut microbiome using mass spectrometry based metaproteomics
Project description:Maintenance of intestinal homeostasis requires a healthy relationship between the commensal gut microbiota and the host immune system. Breast milk supplies the first source of antigen-specific immune protection in the gastrointestinal tract of suckling mammals, in the form of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA). SIgA is transported across glandular and mucosal epithelial cells into external secretions by the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR). Here, a breeding scheme with pIgR-sufficient and -deficient mice was used to study the effects of breast milk-derived SIgA on development of the gut microbiota and host intestinal immunity. Early exposure to maternal SIgA prevented the translocation of aerobic bacteria from the neonatal gut into draining lymph nodes, including the opportunistic pathogen Ochrobactrum anthropi. By the age of weaning, mice that received maternal SIgA in breast milk had a significantly different gut microbiota from mice that did not receive SIgA, and these differences were magnified when the mice reached adulthood. Early exposure to SIgA in breast milk resulted in a pattern of intestinal epithelial cell gene expression in adult mice that differed from that of mice that were not exposed to passive SIgA, including genes associated with intestinal inflammatory diseases in humans. Maternal SIgA was also found to ameliorate colonic damage caused by the epithelial-disrupting agent dextran sulfate sodium. These findings reveal unique mechanisms through which SIgA in breast milk may promote lifelong intestinal homeostasis, and provide additional evidence for the benefits of breastfeeding. We used microarrays to determine the effects of passive and active secretory IgA, in the presence or absence of the epithelial-disrupting agent dextran sulfate sodium, on gene expression in intestinal epithelial cells of mice A breeding scheme was used that involved crosses between mouse dams and sires that were deficient or sufficient for expression of the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (Pigr), a protein that is required for transport of secretory IgA (SIgA) into external secretions. Offspring of these crosses were genotyped for Pigr alleles, and littermate offspring were distributed into 4 groups based on early exposure to passive SIgA in mother's milk (P-yes and P-no) and ability to carry out Pigr-mediated endogenous transport of active SIgA (A-yes and A-no). Seventy-day-old gender-matched Pigr+/- and Pigr-/- offspring of Pigr+/- and Pigr-/- dams were left untreated or given 2% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water for 8 days. Colonic epithelial cells were isolated, and total cellular RNA was purified. RNA was pooled from 3 mice for each of 2 biological replicates for microarray analysis.