To test whether microbiome fostered in an NHE3-deficient environment is able to drive mucosal immune responses affecting the onset or severity of colitis, we performed a series of cohousing experiments and fecal microbiome transplants into germ-free Rag-deficient or IL-10<sup>-/-</sup> mice.
We previously reported a strong decrease in the NHERF family member PDZK1 (NHERF3), which binds to NHE3 and regulates its function in a mouse model of colitis.