Microbial regulation of microRNA expression in the prefrontal cortex

We have previously shown that the absence of microbial exposure throughout life results in altered transcriptional regulation in the PFC. We therefore hypothesized that alterations in miRNA expression may be associated with some of the noted molecular changes in these animals. To delineate specific miRNAs that may be influenced by the gut microbiota during adulthood following normal assembly patterns in early life, we then examined miRNA expression in the central nervous system (CNS) of adult rodents following sustained microbiota knockdown with antibiotics. We hypothesized that there would be extensive reorganization of miRNA expression in these two key brain regions (amygdala and PFC) of microbiota-deficient rodents.