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Characterization of Housing-Related Spontaneous Variations of Gut Microbiota and Expression of Toll-Like Receptors 2 and 4 in Rats

Microbial Ecology volume 60, pages 691–702 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Gut microbiota has been suggested as a key component of gut homeostasis, affecting immune responses within the gut. We determined changes in intestinal commensal bacteria and expression of toll-like receptors (TLR) 2 and 4 in rats bred under microbiologically controlled conditions (barrier), under standard conditions (conventional), and in barrier animals adapted to standard conditions (barrier/conventional). Cecal microbiota was analyzed by plate culture, and fluorescence in situ hybridization and microbial profiles were assessed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. Cecal expression of TLR-2 and TLR-4 was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Total number of cecal bacteria was similar in the three groups. However, the barrier group showed a higher number of strict anaerobic bacteria (Bacteroides spp. and Clostridium spp.) while Bifidobacterium spp. were scarce. Re-housing the barrier-bred rats into conventional conditions led to a microbiota with intermediate characteristics between the barrier and conventional groups. Richness of the cecal microbial ecosystem was similar in the three groups, although a relative time-dependent variation, with highest homogeneity in the barrier group, was observed. Expression levels of TLR-2 and TLR-4 had no clear correlation with the microbiota. These results show that the relative composition of the cecal microbiota in rats varies spontaneously with changes in the environmental conditions, with minor impact in the expression of TLR-2 and TLR-4. These observations might be important in the understanding of variability in animal responses, particularly to immune-related stimuli, when assessed in the context of the environmental/microbiological conditions.

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Acknowledgments

Our gratitude to Charles River Laboratories, France, for providing information on the microbiological status of CRL animals. We would also like to thank Blanca Chavez, Jenifer Toskano, and Rosa Torres for technical assistance with molecular techniques and Andrew Hudson for editorial revision of the manuscript. This study was financed with grants 2005SGR-00255 and 2009SGR708 from the Generalitat de Catalunya, PRP2005-16 from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, BFU2007-62794 from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, and BFU2009-08229 from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain

    Evangelina Terán-Ventura, Maria Teresa Martin, Vicente Martinez & Patri Vergara

  2. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    Maria Teresa Martin & Patri Vergara

  3. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CRESA), Barcelona, Spain

    Mercè Roca

  4. Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain

    Maria Lourdes Abarca

  5. Edificio V, Unidad de Fisiología, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

    Patri Vergara

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  1. Evangelina Terán-Ventura
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  2. Mercè Roca
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Correspondence to Patri Vergara.

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Terán-Ventura, E., Roca, M., Martin, M.T. et al. Characterization of Housing-Related Spontaneous Variations of Gut Microbiota and Expression of Toll-Like Receptors 2 and 4 in Rats. Microb Ecol 60, 691–702 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-010-9737-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-010-9737-z

Keywords

  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Intestinal Microbiota
  • Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism
  • Conventional Group
  • Conventional Condition