Sex-specific gut microbiome differences in a novel mouse model of autism

Mice carrying the transgene for human soluble amyloid precursor protein alpha (sAPPα) exhibit behavioral, neurochemical, and immunological features analogous to those found in human Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Given known associations between ASD and the gut microflora, we used cpn60 barcode sequencing to characterize the gut microbiota of 3-month old TgsAPPα-overexpressing mice, using age- and sex-matched wildtype littermates for comparison.