title: Lessons from mother: Long-term impact of antibodies in breast milk on the gut microbiota and intestinal immune system of breastfed offspring.
abstract: From birth to adulthood, the gut microbiota matures from a simple community dominated by a few major bacterial groups into a highly diverse ecosystem that provides both benefits and challenges to the host. Currently there is great interest in identifying environmental and host factors that shape the development of our gut microbiota. Breast milk is a rich source of maternal antibodies, which provide the first source of adaptive immunity in the newborn's intestinal tract. In this addendum, we summarize our recent data demonstrating that maternal antibodies in breast milk promote long-term intestinal homeostasis in suckling mice by regulating the gut microbiota and host gene expression. We also discuss important unanswered questions, future directions for research in this field, and implications for human health and disease.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology; Immunology; and Molecular Genetics ; University of Kentucky ; Lexington , KY USA.
authors.forename: Eric W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Rogier
authors.forename: Aubrey L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Frantz
authors.forename: Maria Ec
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Leia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wedlund
authors.forename: Donald A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Arnold J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Stromberg
authors.forename: Charlotte S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Kaetzel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D051379:Mice; D064307:Microbiota; D008892:Milk / Q000276:immunology*; D023421:Models, Animal
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies
keywords: breastfeeding; gene expression; gut microbiota; inflammatory bowel disease; intestinal epithelial cells; polymeric immunoglobulin receptor; secretory IgA