Microbial intervention strengthens the aged muscle and rejuvenates the skin through changes in the microbial structure and host gene expression, finds a study published in MicrobiomeJ. Read the paper here:
]; the threshold of logarithmic LDA score was 2.0. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was calculated for bacterial species that have more than 0.5% relative abundance in 12-month-old recipient mice using the psych R package.To examine the cognitive response of mice, a passive avoidance test was performed. A mouse was placed in a light chamber for 30 s and allowed to move to a dark chamber upon gate opening.
For the intraocular pressure test, mice were anesthetized using an intraperitoneal injection of xylazine and zolazepam and tiletamine . IOP was measured using a rebound tonometer , according to the manufacturer’s instructions. One trial result was obtained after six consecutive measurements, and the mean of consecutive trials was used for analyses.
Electroretinogram analysis was performed using Micron Ganzfeld ERG . The mouse was dark-adapted at least 12 h before the experiment for scotopic testing . After anesthesia, the pupil dilated as previously described. Once the pupil was fully dilated, we applied hypromellose 2.5% and inserted the electrodes. ERG was recorded using Micron Ganzfeld ERG, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Scotopic ERG was obtained with increasing flash intensity at a range of −1.7 log cd/s/m.
For immunofluorescence, tissue sample preparation and blocking were performed in the same manner as described in immunohistochemistry. Then, the slides were probed at 4 °C overnight with the primary antibodies , labeled for 2 h with Cy3-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG or A488 donkey anti-mouse IgG , and stained with DAPI for 15 min.
QuantSeq 3′ mRNA-Seq reads were aligned using Bowtie2. Bowtie2 indices were either generated from the genome assembly sequence or representative transcript sequences for aligning to the genome and transcriptome. The alignment file was used for assembling transcripts, estimating their abundances, and detecting differential expression of genes. Raw read counts were normalized and differentially expressed genes were identified using the edgeR package .
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Association of indoor dust microbiota with cognitive function and behavior in preschool-aged children - MicrobiomeBackground Childhood cognitive development depends on neuroimmune interactions. Immunomodulation by early-life microbial exposure may influence neuropsychological function. In this study, we investigate the association between residential indoor microbiota and cognition and behavior among preschoolers. Results Indoor-settled dust bacterial and fungal characteristics were assessed using 16S and ITS amplicon sequencing (microbial diversity) and qPCR measurements (microbial loads). Child behavior was assessed using four scales: peer relationship, emotional, conduct, and hyperactivity was assessed by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Cognitive function was assessed using four tasks of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) software. The first two tasks were designed to assess attention and psychomotor speed (Motor Screening (MOT) and Big/Little Circle (BLC)) and the last two to evaluate the child’s visual recognition/working memory (Spatial Span (SSP) and Delayed Matching to Sample (DMS)). Among the 172 included children (age 4–6 years), we observed a 51% (95%CI;75%;9%) lower odds of children scoring not normal for hyperactivity and a decrease of 3.20% (95%CI, −6.01%; −0.30%) in BLC response time, for every IQR increase in fungal Shannon diversity. Contrarily, microbial loads were directly associated with SDQ scales and response time. For example, a 2-fold increase in Gram-positive bacterial load was associated with 70% (95%CI 18%; 156%) higher odds of scoring not normal for hyperactivity and an increase of 5.17% (95%CI 0.87%; 9.65%) in DMS response time. Conclusions Our findings show that early-life exposure to diverse indoor fungal communities is associated with better behavioral and cognitive outcomes, whereas higher indoor microbial load was associated with worse outcomes. Video Abstract
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How gut bacteria evade the immune systemResearchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen address the long-standing question of how benign gut microbes evade the immune system. In doing so, they also reshape our understanding of how immune receptors interact with the bacterial motility protein flagellin.
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