Effect of ethanol exposurein uteroon infant mice gut microbiotas assessed by nanopore and illumina sequencing

Abstract

The gut microbiome plays a vital role in host homeostasis and understanding of its biology is essential for a better comprehension of the etiology of disorders such as Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder represents a cluster of abnormalities including growth deficiencies and neurological impairments, which are not easily diagnosed nor treated. Here the effect of ethanol exposure in utero on the gut microbial profiles of 16 infant mice (nine exposed in utero and seven non-exposed) was assessed by targeted nanopore sequencing and Illumina sequencing approaches. The nanopore sequencing was implemented using MinION system targeting PCR-amplified amplicons made from the full-length 16S rRNA gene. The Illumina sequencing was performed using Miseq system targeting the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Ethanol exposure did not affect the microbial profiles. Several low prevalent taxa, like Akkermansia muciniphila, were detected but further studies must be performed to detail the effect of ethanol exposure to these taxa since no clear pattern was detected throughout this study.