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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2024 Dec 13.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Host Microbe. 2023 Nov 14;31(12):2007–2022.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.10.016

Figure 3. The intestinal mucus layer is critical for Mucispirillum intestinal colonization.

Figure 3.

(A) Schematic representation of Mucispirillum challenge in Jax-DKO mice. (B) Colonic mucus layer measurements in RC-fed and FD-fed Jax-DKO mice. (C) Luminal abundance of Mucispirillum prior (baseline) and every other day up to 7 days after bacterial administration in RC-fed and FD-fed Jax-DKO mice was normalized to the universal 16S rRNA gene. (D) Body weight during the 7-day bacterial challenge in RC-fed and FD-fed Jax-DKO mice. (E) Fecal Lcn-2 levels before (day 0) and 7 days after the first Mucispirillum oral gavage. (F) Representative H&E-stained colonic sections from Mucispirillum-infected Jax-DKO mice fed either RC or the FD. Scale bar, 200 μm. Black arrows indicate colonic inflammatory infiltrate and crypt architectural distortion. (G) Histology scores of colonic tissues from Mucispirillum-infected Jax-DKO fed either RC or the FD. (H) Schematic representation of Mucispirillum challenge in Muc2−/− mice. (I) Fecal Lcn-2 levels 1 day after the oral gavage in Muc2+/− and Muc2−/− mice. (J) Colonic mucus thickness measurements in Mucispirillum-infected Muc2+/− and Muc2−/− mice. (K) Luminal Abundance of Mucispirillum in in Muc2+/− and Muc2−/− mice prior (day 0), and 1 day after bacterial administration was normalized to the universal 16S rRNA gene. (L) Schematic representation of the experimental design for trio breeding experiments. Colonic mucus thickness measurements in Tac-DKO (M) and Jax-DKO (N) pups fed either RC or the FD from birth. (O) Abundance of A. muciniphila (Akkermansia) and Mucispirillum in Jax-DKO and Tac-DKO pups, respectively, was normalized to the universal 16S rRNA gene.

Each symbol represents one mouse. Data are mean ± SEM (B, D, I-J, M-O), or median (C, E and K), and representative of at least two independent experiments, n= 3–9 per group. *p< 0.05; **p<0.01; ***p<0.001; ****p<0.0001; n.s. not significant by Kruskal-Wallis test followed by Dunn’s post-test (C, E and K), by two-way ANOVA followed by Sidak’s post-test (D), by two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test (**p=0.0053, G), or by two-tailed unpaired t-test (**p=0.0081, B; n.s., I; *p=0.0498, J; ***p=0.0006, M; ***p=0.0002, N; **p=0.0424 Jax-DKO, O; **p=0.0018 Tac-DKO, O). See also Figure S3; Table S7.