title: The maternal microbiota drives early postnatal innate immune development.
abstract: Postnatal colonization of the body with microbes is assumed to be the main stimulus to postnatal immune development. By transiently colonizing pregnant female mice, we show that the maternal microbiota shapes the immune system of the offspring. Gestational colonization increases intestinal group 3 innate lymphoid cells and F4/80(+)CD11c(+) mononuclear cells in the pups. Maternal colonization reprograms intestinal transcriptional profiles of the offspring, including increased expression of genes encoding epithelial antibacterial peptides and metabolism of microbial molecules. Some of these effects are dependent on maternal antibodies that potentially retain microbial molecules and transmit them to the offspring during pregnancy and in milk. Pups born to mothers transiently colonized in pregnancy are better able to avoid inflammatory responses to microbial molecules and penetration of intestinal microbes.
authors.affiliation: Maurice Müller Laboratories (DKF), Universitätsklinik für Viszerale Chirurgie und Medizin Inselspital, Murtenstrasse 35, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gomez de Agüero
authors.affiliation: Maurice Müller Laboratories (DKF), Universitätsklinik für Viszerale Chirurgie und Medizin Inselspital, Murtenstrasse 35, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stephanie C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Ganal-Vonarburg
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fuhrer
authors.affiliation: Maurice Müller Laboratories (DKF), Universitätsklinik für Viszerale Chirurgie und Medizin Inselspital, Murtenstrasse 35, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rupp
authors.affiliation: Maurice Müller Laboratories (DKF), Universitätsklinik für Viszerale Chirurgie und Medizin Inselspital, Murtenstrasse 35, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uchimura
authors.affiliation: Maurice Müller Laboratories (DKF), Universitätsklinik für Viszerale Chirurgie und Medizin Inselspital, Murtenstrasse 35, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Hai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Maurice Müller Laboratories (DKF), Universitätsklinik für Viszerale Chirurgie und Medizin Inselspital, Murtenstrasse 35, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steinert
authors.affiliation: Division of Chronic Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heikenwalder
authors.affiliation: Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hapfelmeier
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sauer
authors.affiliation: Maurice Müller Laboratories (DKF), Universitätsklinik für Viszerale Chirurgie und Medizin Inselspital, Murtenstrasse 35, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Kathy D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.affiliation: Maurice Müller Laboratories (DKF), Universitätsklinik für Viszerale Chirurgie und Medizin Inselspital, Murtenstrasse 35, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland. andrew.macpherson@insel.ch.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Macpherson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000276:immunology*; D005856:Germ-Free Life; D007107:Immune System / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011247:Pregnancy; D013559:Symbiosis; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies