Maternal immune cell gene expression associates with maternal gut microbiome, milk composition and infant gut microbiome.

Background: Pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity promote deleterious health impacts on both mothers during pregnancy and the offspring. Significant changes in the maternal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) gene expression due to obesity are well-known. However, the impact of pre-pregnancy overweight on immune cell gene expression during pregnancy and its association with maternal and infant outcomes is not well explored.

Microbiota from human infants consuming secretors or non-secretors mothers' milk impacts the gut and immune system in mice.

Unlabelled: Maternal secretor status is one of the determinants of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) composition, which, in turn, influences the gut microbiota composition of infants. To understand if this change in gut microbiota impacts immune cell composition, intestinal morphology, and gene expression, 21-day-old germ-free C57BL/6 mice were transplanted with fecal microbiota from infants whose mothers were either secretors (SMM) or non-secretors (NSM) or from infants consuming dairy-based formula (MFM). For each group, one set of mice was supplemented with HMOs.