| dc.description.abstract | The gastrointestinal microbiome plays a critical role in aiding the host in maintaining homeostasis. Probiotic bacteria can aid the microbiota in maintenance of homeostasis by performing a multitude of functions such as modulating the immune system, maintaining the intestinal epithelium, and inhibiting pathogens. A probiotic organism is �-a live microorganism that, when administered in adequate amounts, confers a health benefit to the host.� Several species from the genus of Lactobacillus are known probiotics. Lactobacilli have been used to manufacture fermented food products, have been found to be involved in the decay of plant matter, and are members of the oral, gastrointestinal and vaginal microbiomes. A body of evidence that probiotics, including certain strains of Lactobacillus, may be able to positively influence the gut-brain axis is emerging. Microtus ochrogaster, the prairie vole, is a highly social animal and an excellent model for the studying the effect of environmental factors on behavior. Males that have not pair-bonded exhibit a high degree of interest in unfamiliar voles, but when exposed to mercury a shift in this behavior occurs and the animals develop an aversion to strangers. It is possible that administration of probiotics, such as lactobacilli, may be able to reverse this altered behavior. The probiotic potential of lactobacilli has been shown to be strain specific and there is a need to characterize the molecular mechanisms involved in probiosis. To understand the underlying mechanics by which probiotic strains of Lactobacillus could potentially reverse the effect of mercury exposure on prairie vole behavior, it is necessary to understand the genes involved and their function at a molecular level. To lay the foundation for future studies regarding these mechanisms, the genomes of three Lactobacillus strains previously isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of prairie voles, and tested in vitro for probiotic characteristics, were sequenced using the Ion Torrent PGM�. Potential homologues of genes involved in probiotic action were identified and described in this study. | |
