Comparisons of gut microbiota profiles in wild type and gelatinase B/matrix metalloproteinase-9 deficient mice in acute dextran sodium sulphate/DSS-induced colitis. MMP9-KO microbiota

Background: Gut microbiota help to educate the immune system and a number of involved immune cells have recently been characterized. However, specific molecular determinants in these processes are not known and, reciprocally, little information exists about single host determinants that alter the microbiota. Gelatinase B/matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), an innate immune regulator and effector, has been suggested as such a host determinant.Methods: Acute colitis was induced in MMP-9-/- mice and their wild type (WT) littermates via oral administration of 3% dextran sodium sulphate (DSS). Control mice received normal drinking water. Fecal samples were collected at time of sacrifice and immediately frozen at -80°C. Illumina MiSeq sequencer was used for 16S rRNA gene sequencing and taxonomic annotation was performed with the Ribosomal Database Project. Statistical analysis correcting for multiple testing was done using R.