Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM) induces sex-specific dysbiosis in the mouse gut bacterial microbiome, altering abundance and function

DCM was induced in female and male C57BL/6 mice by implanting an aromatic polyether material underneath the C5-6 laminae. The extent of DCM-induced changes in microbiota composition, also known as dysbiosis, was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing from fecal samples at 3 different time points (6, 9 and 12 weeks after DCM induction). Several bacterial members were identified based on BLAST against the largest collection of metagenome-derived genomes from the mouse gut up to date. In both, female and males DCM caused gut dysbiosis compared with the sham group. However, dysbiosis was more pronounced in males than females, where several bacterial members of the families Lachnospiraceae and Muribaculaceae were significantly altered in the DCM group. These changes were also associated with altered immune cell composition in gut-associated lymphoid tissue, blood, and microbe-derived metabolic changes in propionate, butyrate, and lactate-producing bacterial members.