Bacterial RNA-Seq

The gut microbiota is essential for several aspects of host physiology such as metabolism, epithelial barrier function and immunity. Previous studies have revealed that host immune system as well as diet and other environmental factors have a strong impact on the composition and activity of gut microbiota, but the molecular requirements for such functional regulation remain unknown. We show that the bacteria belonging to phylum Bacteroidetes acquire their symbiotic activity in the colonic mucus, depending on a newly characterized molecular family encoded within the polysaccharide utilization loci (PUL), which we have named Mucus-Associated Functional Factor (MAFF). Germ free mice were colonized with indicated bacterial strains. In the other set of experiment, specific pathogen free mice were treated with antibiotics (metronidazone and ciprofloxacin) and then colonized B.theta (WT or MAFF-deleted mutant) with or without backpack of 7-6IgA hybridoma cell line or P3U1 myeloma cells.