Timing, localization, and persistence of colonization by segmented filamentous bacteria in the neonatal mouse gut depend on immune status of mothers and pups
Hq. Jiang et al., Timing, localization, and persistence of colonization by segmented filamentous bacteria in the neonatal mouse gut depend on immune status of mothers and pups, INFEC IMMUN, 69(6), 2001, pp. 3611-3617
As a member of the indigenous gut mucosal microbiota, segmented filamentous
bacteria (SFB) colonize the guts of a variety of vertebrates and invertebr
ates. They are potent microbial stimuli of the gut mucosal immune system. I
n the small intestines of mice and rats, it has been observed that SFB are
absent during the suckling period and appear in high numbers shortly after
weaning, then quickly retreat to the cecum and large intestine. In this stu
dy, we explored whether this microecological phenomenon resulted from the i
nteraction between SFB and the passively acquired maternal mucosal immunity
and/or the actively acquired mucosal immunity. We set up a mouse model by
reciprocal crossings and backcrossings of SFB-monoassociated, formerly germ
-free, immunocompetent (+/+) BALB/c mice and immunodeficient (scid/scid) mi
ce to produce pups which are either immunocompetent (scid/+) or immunodefic
ient (scid/scid) and are born either to immunocompetent (scid/+) mothers or
to immunodeficient (scid/scid) mothers. We monitored the number of SFB on
the mucosa of the small intestine in the four different groups of mice afte
r birth, as well as the level of passively acquired antibodies, the active
gut mucosal immune responses, and immunoglobulin A (IgA) coating of SFB in
the gut. The results showed that, irrespective of whether the pups were sci
d/scid or scid/+, SFB could be found earlier on the mucosa of the small int
estine in pups born to scid/scid mothers, appearing from day 13 and rapidly
reaching a climax around weaning time on day 28, compared to the significa
ntly delayed colonization in the pups of scid/+ mothers, starting from day
16 and peaking around days 28 to 32, After the climax, SFB quickly declined
to very low levels in the small intestines of scid/+ pups of either scid/s
cid mothers or scid/+ mothers, whereas they remained at high levels in scid
/scid pups at least until day 70, the last observation time in this study,
The dynamic changes in SFB colonization of the small intestines of the diff
erent groups of pups may be related to the dynamic changes in the levels of
SFB coated,vith secretory IgA (sIgA), which resulted from the significantl
y different levels of sIgA obtained from the mothers' milk during the suckl
ing period and, later, of self-produced sIgA in the small intestine. Nevert
heless, it is evident that the timing, localization, and persistence of col
onization of the neonatal gut by SFB depends on the immune status of both m
others and pups.