Open AccessIngestion of Bifidobacterium longum changes miRNA levels in the brains of mice
Author(s) -
Laura DeVries,
Cara Horstman,
Marie Fossell,
Clayton D. Carlson
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0249817
Subject(s) - bifidobacterium longum , biology , probiotic , gene expression , microrna , bifidobacterium , gene , dab1 , regulation of gene expression , real time polymerase chain reaction , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , bacteria , lactobacillus , mutant
The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between the microbiota of the gastrointestinal (GI) system and relative gene expression of miRNAs and mRNAs in the brain. C57BL/6 mice and Balb/c mice are fed Bifidobacterium longum , a well-characterized probiotic bacterial species shown to change behavior and improve sociability of Balb/c mice. After feeding, RNA was extracted from whole brains and PCR arrays were utilized to determine changes in the gene expression of brain-specific miRNAs. The results of these PCR arrays reveal that the relative gene expression of mmu-mir-652-3p is sensitive to B . longum probiotic treatment in C57BL/6 mice. qPCR was performed to measure expression of Dab1, an mRNA target of this miRNA. Dab1 expression is also dependent on B . longum . The goal of this study is to further understand the relationship between the gut microbiota and its impacts on neurological gene expression and brain function.