NIK-Driven IL-23 Production by Myeloid Cells is a Key Factor in the Development of Autoimmune Inflammation [16S rRNA-seq]

This study investigates the role of NF-?B inducing kinase (NIK) in myeloid cells during the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). While NIK expression in circulating myeloid cells was found to be crucial for EAE pathogenesis, influencing T cell priming and IL-23 production, we sought to determine if these effects were mediated by alterations in the gut microbiota. To test this, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing on faecal samples from NIKfl/fl and NIK^CX3CR1 mice. Our results showed no significant differences in microbial composition between genotypes, indicating that the observed immune phenotype is independent of steady-state changes in the gut microbiome. Overall design: We have employed a 16s rRNA sequencing of Faecal samples of naïve NIKfl/fl control mice and NIK^CX3CR1 mice to study differences in the microbiome. DNA extraction, 16S rRNA library preparation, sequencing, and bioinformatic analysis were performed by Novogene (Cambridge, UK). Faecal samples were collected from the mice during steady-state.