Effects of radiation on gut microbiome

Eight week old CBA/J male mice were purchased from Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME, USA). The experimental protocols were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at UAMS. Animals were randomly divided into three radiation dose groups (0, 3, and 8.5 Gy of gamma rays from a 137cesium source), as well as two diet groups where half of the animals continued receiving a standard, methionine adequate diet (MAD), while the second half of the animals was fed methionine-supplemented diet (MSD, 3X) for 3.5 or 6 consecutive days.