Reversible Microbial Colonization of Germ-Free Mice Reveals the Dynamics of IgA Immune Responses.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Reversible Microbial Colonization of Germ-Free Mice Reveals the Dynamics of IgA Immune Responses.
Authors:	Hapfelmeier, Siegfried, Lawson, Melissa A. E., Slack, Emma, Kirundi, Jorum K., Stoel, Maaike, Heikenwalder, Mathias, Cahenzli, Julia, Velykoredko, Yuliya, Balmer, Maria L., Endt, Kathrin, Geuking, Markus B., Curtiss 3rd, Roy, McCoy, Kathy D., Macpherson, Andrew J.
Source:	Science (pre-March 2025). 6/25/2010, Vol. 328 Issue 5986, p1705-1709. 5p.
Subjects:	Large intestine diseases, Commensalism, Bacteria, Microbiology, Immune response, Immunoglobulin A, Laboratory mice, Vaccination
Abstract:	The lower intestine of adult mammals is densely colonized with nonpathogenic (commensal) microbes. Gut bacteria induce protective immune responses, which ensure host-microbial mutualism. The continuous presence of commensal intestinal bacteria has made it difficult to study mucosal immune dynamics. Here, we report a reversible germ-free colonization system in mice that is independent of diet or antibiotic manipulation. A slow (more than 14 days) onset of a long-lived (half-life over 16 weeks), highly specific anticommensal immunoglobulin A (IgA) response in germ-free mice was observed. Ongoing commensal exposure in colonized mice rapidly abrogated this response. Sequential doses lacked a classical prime-boost effect seen in systemic vaccination, but specific IgA induction occurred as a stepwise response to current bacterial exposure, such that the antibody repertoire matched the existing commensal content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

Description
Abstract:	The lower intestine of adult mammals is densely colonized with nonpathogenic (commensal) microbes. Gut bacteria induce protective immune responses, which ensure host-microbial mutualism. The continuous presence of commensal intestinal bacteria has made it difficult to study mucosal immune dynamics. Here, we report a reversible germ-free colonization system in mice that is independent of diet or antibiotic manipulation. A slow (more than 14 days) onset of a long-lived (half-life over 16 weeks), highly specific anticommensal immunoglobulin A (IgA) response in germ-free mice was observed. Ongoing commensal exposure in colonized mice rapidly abrogated this response. Sequential doses lacked a classical prime-boost effect seen in systemic vaccination, but specific IgA induction occurred as a stepwise response to current bacterial exposure, such that the antibody repertoire matched the existing commensal content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	00368075
DOI:	10.1126/science.1188454