Probiotics stimulate enterocyte migration and microbial diversity in the neonatal mouse intestine

Geoffrey A. Preidis, Delphine M. Saulnier, Sarah E. Blutt, Toni Ann Mistretta, Kevin P. Riehle, Angela M. Major, Susan F. Venable, Milton J. Finegold, Joseph F. Petrosino, Margaret E. Conner, James Versalovic

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

98 Scopus citations

Abstract

Beneficial microbes and probiotics show promise for the treatment of pediatric gastrointestinal diseases. However, basic mechanisms of probiosis are not well understood, and most investigations have been performed in germ-free or microbiome-depleted animals. We sought to functionally characterize probiotichost interactions in the context of normal early development. Outbred CD1 neonatal mice were orally gavaged with one of two strains of human-derived Lactobacillus reuteri or an equal volume of vehicle. Transcriptome analysis was performed on enterocyte RNA isolated by laser-capture microdissection. Enterocyte migration and proliferation were assessed by labeling cells with 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine, and fecal microbial community composition was determined by 16S metagenomic sequencing. Probiotic ingestion altered gene expression in multiple canonical pathways involving cell motility. L. reuteri strain DSM 17938 dramatically increased enterocyte migration (3-fold), proliferation (34%), and crypt height (29%) compared to vehicle-treated mice, whereas strain ATCC PTA 6475 increased cell migration (2-fold) without affecting crypt proliferative activity. In addition, both probiotic strains increased the phylogenetic diversity and evenness between taxa of the fecal microbiome 24 h after a single probiotic gavage. These experiments identify two targets of probiosis in early development, the intestinal epithelium and the gut microbiome, and suggest novel mechanisms for probiotic strain-specific effects.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1960-1969
Number of pages10
JournalFASEB Journal
Volume26
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2012

Keywords

  • Animal models
  • Cell movement
  • Epithelium
  • Metagenome

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Biotechnology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Probiotics stimulate enterocyte migration and microbial diversity in the neonatal mouse intestine'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this