Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 19, 2025
Induction of Maternal Immune Activation in Mice at Mid-gestation Stage with Viral Mimic PolyI:C
Published on: March 25, 2016
Microbiota control of maternal behavior regulates early postnatal growth of offspring
Yujung Michelle Lee1,2,3, Andre Mu1,2,3, Martina Wallace4
1Molecular and Systems Physiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Insights
A specific Escherichia coli strain impairs maternal behavior, leading to offspring malnutrition and stunted growth via disrupted insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Developmental Biology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Maternal behavior is crucial for offspring development.
- The gut microbiota influences early-life growth and development.
- Early-life microbial dysbiosis can have long-term health consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify microbial factors affecting maternal behavior and offspring growth.
- To elucidate the mechanism by which an intestinal bacterium impacts the maternal-offspring system.
- To understand the role of microbiota in regulating postnatal growth.
Main Methods:
- Identification and characterization of an intestinal Escherichia coli strain.
- Assessment of maternal behavior in dams exposed to the identified E. coli strain.
- Analysis of offspring growth parameters, nutritional status, and IGF-1 signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- A specific E. coli strain was found to be pathogenic to dams by disrupting maternal behavior maturation.
- This disruption led to offspring malnourishment and impaired insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling.
- Offspring exhibited significant growth stunting as a consequence of the compromised maternal care and signaling.
Conclusions:
- The gut microbiota plays a critical role in regulating maternal behavior and offspring growth.
- Escherichia coli can impact offspring development indirectly by affecting maternal care.
- This study highlights a novel mechanism linking microbial dysbiosis to impaired development via maternal behavior disruption.
Abstract:
Maternal behavior is necessary for optimal development and growth of offspring. The intestinal microbiota has emerged as a critical regulator of growth and development in the early postnatal period life. Here, we describe the identification of an intestinal Escherichia coli strain that is pathogenic to the maternal-offspring system during the early postnatal stage of life and results in growth stunting of the offspring. However, rather than having a direct pathogenic effect on the infant, we found that this particular E. coli strain was pathogenic to the dams by interfering with the maturation of maternal behavior. This resulted in malnourishment of the pups and impaired insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling, leading to the consequential stunted growth. Our work provides a new understanding of how the microbiota regulates postnatal growth and an additional variable that must be considered when studying the regulation of maternal behavior.
More Related Videos
09:09Generating a Reproducible Model of Mid-Gestational Maternal Immune Activation using PolyI:C to Study Susceptibility and Resilience in Offspring
Published on: August 17, 2022
06:40Analysis of Electrocardiograms and Behavior in Mice from Pregnancy to Lactation Period
Published on: April 5, 2024
