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Bennett AR, Mair I, Muir A, Smith H, Logunova L, Wolfenden A, Fenn J, Lowe AE, Bradley JE, Else KJ, Thornton DJ. Sex drives colonic mucin sialylation in wild mice. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6954. [PMID: 38521809 PMCID: PMC10960830 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57249-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Mucin protein glycosylation is important in determining biological properties of mucus gels, which form protective barriers at mucosal surfaces of the body such as the intestine. Ecological factors including: age, sex, and diet can change mucus barrier properties by modulating mucin glycosylation. However, as our understanding stems from controlled laboratory studies in house mice, the combined influence of ecological factors on mucin glycosylation in real-world contexts remains limited. In this study, we used histological staining with 'Alcian Blue, Periodic Acid, Schiff's' and 'High-Iron diamine' to assess the acidic nature of mucins stored within goblet cells of the intestine, in a wild mouse population (Mus musculus). Using statistical models, we identified sex as among the most influential ecological factors determining the acidity of intestinal mucin glycans in wild mice. Our data from wild mice and experiments using laboratory mice suggest estrogen signalling associates with an increase in the relative abundance of sialylated mucins. Thus, estrogen signalling may underpin sex differences observed in the colonic mucus of wild and laboratory mice. These findings highlight the significant influence of ecological parameters on mucosal barrier sites and the complementary role of wild populations in augmenting standard laboratory studies in the advancement of mucus biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander R Bennett
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - Iris Mair
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew Muir
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Hannah Smith
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Larisa Logunova
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew Wolfenden
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Jonathan Fenn
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Ann E Lowe
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Kathryn J Else
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - David J Thornton
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
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Viney M, Cheynel L. Gut immune responses and evolution of the gut microbiome-a hypothesis. DISCOVERY IMMUNOLOGY 2023; 2:kyad025. [PMID: 38567055 PMCID: PMC10917216 DOI: 10.1093/discim/kyad025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The gut microbiome is an assemblage of microbes that have profound effects on their hosts. The composition of the microbiome is affected by bottom-up, among-taxa interactions and by top-down, host effects, which includes the host immune response. While the high-level composition of the microbiome is generally stable over time, component strains and genotypes will constantly be evolving, with both bottom-up and top-down effects acting as selection pressures, driving microbial evolution. Secretory IgA is a major feature of the gut's adaptive immune response, and a substantial proportion of gut bacteria are coated with IgA, though the effect of this on bacteria is unclear. Here we hypothesize that IgA binding to gut bacteria is a selection pressure that will drive the evolution of IgA-bound bacteria, so that they will have a different evolutionary trajectory than those bacteria not bound by IgA. We know very little about the microbiome of wild animals and even less about their gut immune responses, but it must be a priority to investigate this hypothesis to understand if and how host immune responses contribute to microbiome evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Viney
- Department of Evolution, Ecology & Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Louise Cheynel
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, Villeurbanne, France
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Milling S. Discovery Immunology 2023. Highlights from our first full year. DISCOVERY IMMUNOLOGY 2023; 2:kyad019. [PMID: 38567058 PMCID: PMC10917154 DOI: 10.1093/discim/kyad019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Milling
- School of Infection & Immunity, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
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