MHC variation sculpts individualized microbial communities that control susceptibility to enteric infection
Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 2015 papers
Abstract
The presentation of protein antigens on the cell surface by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules coordinates vertebrate adaptive immune responses, thereby mediating susceptibility to a variety of autoimmune and infectious diseases. The composition of symbiotic microbial communities (the microbiota) is influenced by host immunity and can have a profound impact on host physiology. Here we use an MHC congenic mouse model to test the hypothesis that genetic variation at MHC genes among individuals mediates susceptibility to disease by controlling microbiota composition. We find that MHC genotype significantly influences antibody responses against commensals in the gut, and that these responses are correlated with the establishment of unique microbial communities. Transplantation experiments in germfree mice indicate that MHC-mediated differences in microbiota composition are sufficient to explain susceptibility to enteric infection. Our findings indicate that MHC polymorphisms contribute to defining an individual's unique microbial fingerprint that influences health.
Related Papers
- → Odor types determined by the major histocompatibility complex in germfree mice.(1990)110 cited
- → MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX CONTROL OF NK-RELATED ALLOGENEIC LYMPHOCYTE CYTOTOXICITY IN RATS THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF STRONG AND MEDIAL TRANSPLANTATION ANTIGENS(1988)21 cited
- → Congenic Mapping of the MHC‐Linked Susceptibility to Type 1 Diabetes in the NOD Mouse(2008)1 cited
- → Test of prolongation of skin graft survival by blood injections provides evidence for presence of a new histocompatibility locus in the B‐G region of chicken MHC(1987)9 cited
- → Influence of the major histocompatibility comp(MHC) on the response to and expression of H‐Y in rats(1987)5 cited