The OMM 12 mice: a decade of dissecting host-microbiome interactions
Abstract
Humans and their associated microbes form a multifaceted ecosystem. Gaining mechanistic insight into this system necessitates reductionist models integrating ecological and immunological dimensions. Over the past decade, the gnotobiotic Oligo-Mouse- Microbiota (OMM12) mouse line has exemplified this approach, pairing a standardized consortium of 12 bacterial strains representative of the five major phyla of the mouse microbiota, with the most widely used host background, C57bl/6 mice, in microbiome research. Across numerous studies, this reproducible and experimentally tractable model has enabled the identification of molecular mechanisms underlying colonization resistance, pathogen virulence, microbiota-dependent metabolic and immune pathways, as well as bacterial and bacteriophage dynamics. The modular ability/nature of the OMM12 model may now be further leveraged and refined in different host and microbial dimensions to address remaining gaps in translational microbiome research, positioning it as a reference framework for mechanistic investigations.
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BibTeX
@article{conti2026mice,
title = {{The OMM 12 mice: a decade of dissecting host-microbiome interactions}},
author = {Devon E Conti and Laurent Debarbieux and Caroline Henrot},
journal = {Gut microbes},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1080/19490976.2026.2725332},
url = {https://pasteur.hal.science/pasteur-05762241v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The OMM 12 mice: a decade of dissecting host-microbiome interactions
AU - Devon E Conti
AU - Laurent Debarbieux
AU - Caroline Henrot
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
JO - Gut microbes
DO - 10.1080/19490976.2026.2725332
UR - https://pasteur.hal.science/pasteur-05762241v1
AB - Humans and their associated microbes form a multifaceted ecosystem. Gaining mechanistic insight into this system necessitates reductionist models integrating ecological and immunological dimensions. Over the past decade, the gnotobiotic Oligo-Mouse- Microbiota (OMM12) mouse line has exemplified this approach, pairing a standardized consortium of 12 bacterial strains representative of the five major phyla of the mouse microbiota, with the most widely used host background, C57bl/6 mice, in microbiome research. Across numerous studies, this reproducible and experimentally tractable model has enabled the identification of molecular mechanisms underlying colonization resistance, pathogen virulence, microbiota-dependent metabolic and immune pathways, as well as bacterial and bacteriophage dynamics. The modular ability/nature of the OMM12 model may now be further leveraged and refined in different host and microbial dimensions to address remaining gaps in translational microbiome research, positioning it as a reference framework for mechanistic investigations.
SN - 1949-0976
SN - 1949-0984
ER -