Effect of Husbandry Practices on the Fecal Microbiota of C57BL/6J Breeding Colonies Housed in 2 Different Barrier Facilities in the Same Institution

Abstract

Evidence showing a relationship between the mouse gut microbiome and properties such as phenotype and reaction to therapeutic agents and other treatments has increased significantly over the past 20 to 30 y. Recent concerns regarding the reproducibility of animal experiments have underscored the importance of understanding this relationship and how differences in husbandry practices can affect the gut microbiome. The current study focuses on effects of different barrier practices in 2 barrier facilities at the same institution on the fecal microbiome of breeding C57Bl/6J mice. Ten female and 10 male C57Bl/6J mice were obtained in one shipment from Jackson Laboratories and were housed under different barrier conditions upon arrival. Fecal samples were collected on arrival and periodically thereafter and were sent to TransnetYX for microbiome analysis. Mice used for collection of feces were housed as breeding pairs, with a total of 5 breeding pairs per barrier. An additional fecal sample was collected from these mice at 8 wk after arrival. One F1 female and one F1 male from each breeding cage were housed as brother-sister breeding pairs and a fecal sample was collected from them at 8 wk of age. Brother-sister breeding colonies were continued through F3, with fecal samples for microbiome analysis were collected from each generation at 8 wk of age. Breeding colonies in the 2 barriers showed differences in relative abundance, α -diversity, and β -diversity. Our data indicate that differences in barrier husbandry practices, including the use of autoclaved cages, the degree of restricted access, feed treatment practices, and water provision practices, can affect fecal microbiome divergence in both the parental and filial generations of different breeding colonies. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the effect of barrier husbandry practices on the microbiome of breeding colonies through the F3 generation.