Colitis susceptibility in p47phox-/- mice is mediated by the microbiome

Snap frozen stool pellets were obtained from p47phox-/- and wild type mice before and after colitis induction with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in the setting of 3 conditions: at baseline, after cohousing p47phox-/- and wild type mice, and after heterozygous breeding to compare p47phox-/- and wild type littermates. DNA was extracted, and the V1-3 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced using the 454 GS FLX pyrosequencing platform (Roche). Analyses were performed to characterize the intestinal microbiome signatures of each experimental group, and to confirm effective microbiome homogenization between cohoused mice and between littermates from heterozygously bred mice.