Temporal Maternal Influence on the Developing Microbiota

Abstract

Abstract The microbiota present on every mucosal surface of the body is imperative for the development and maintenance of the immune system. Disruption of the microbiota from environmental factors can affect immune components in both the mucosal and the systemic immune compartments. Following birth in mammals including humans and mice, the microbiota rapidly develops and matures into a composition generally seen in adults when infants are weaned. Gut microbiota composition is directly affected by feeding type, breast-fed vs formula-feeding, in humans, and the microbiota associated with breastfeeding has been shown to promote intestinal health. As the composition of breastmilk changes throughout lactation, we hypothesize maternal provided factors within breastmilk support the development of the microbiota in a temporally sensitive manner. To address this question we asynchronously cross-fostered (ACF) litters born on day 1 to dams who had delivered 2 weeks earlier. Gut microbiota composition was assessed by 16S analysis of stool samples at the time of weaning, and while the microbiota of synchronous cross-fostered pups resembled the microbiota of their foster dam, the microbiota of ASF mice was different from both their foster dam and the healthy microbiota seen in weanling mice. ACF mice had a significant reduction in bacteroides and firmicute species, species that generally represent the majority of the bacteria within a healthy microbiota, and expansion in prevotella species, which include clinically important opportunistic pathogens, suggesting ACF mice contain a dysbiotic microbiota. Future work will explore and identify what temporally dependent components in breast milk support the development of a healthy microbiota.