title: Effects of gut microbiota on the microRNA and mRNA expression in the hippocampus of mice.
abstract: Gut microbiota is increasingly recognized as an important environmental factor that could influence the brain function and behaviors through the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
  
  
  
  Here, we used the germ-free (GF) mice to explore the effect of gut microbiota on hippocampal microRNA (miRNA) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) expression.
  
  
  
  Behavioral tests showed that, compared to specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice, the GF mice displayed more center time, center distance and less latency to familiar food. Colonization of the GF mice with gut microbiota from SPF mice did not reverse these behaviors. However, 7 differentially expressed miRNAs and 139 mRNAs were significantly restored. Through microRNA Target Filter analysis, 4 of 7 restored miRNAs had 2232 target mRNAs. Among these target mRNAs, 21 target mRNAs levels were decreased. Further analysis showed that the most significant GO terms were metabolic process (GO: 0008152), binding (GO: 0005488) and cell part (GO: 0044464) for biological process, molecular function and cellular component, respectively, and the most significantly altered pathway was axon guidance (mmu04360).
  
  
  
  These findings indicated that colonization of gut microbiota to adolescent GF mice was not sufficient to reverse the behavioral alterations. Gut microbiota could significantly influence the expression levels of miRNAs and mRNAs in hippocampus. Our results could provide original and valuable data for researchers to further study the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, China; Institute of Life Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Reproduction & Development, Chongqing Medical University, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, China; Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Animal Science, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Ben-Hua
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, China; Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, China; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Wen
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Chan-Juan
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, China; Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, China; Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Song-Hua
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, China; Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, China; Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, China; Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, China; Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, China; Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, China; Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, China; Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, China; Department of Neurology, Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Animal Science, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China. Electronic address: weihong63528@163.com.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing Medical University, China; Institute of Neuroscience and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing Medical University, China; Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, China. Electronic address: xiepeng@cqmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D009043:Motor Activity; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D012333:RNA, Messenger
keywords: Gut microbiota; Microbiota-gut-brain; mRNAs; miRNAs