The increased level of 5mC in the cerebellum of BTBR T+tf/J mice found in this study may be attributed to the presence of oxidative DNA lesions and a marked upregulation of de novo DNA methyltransferases Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b. Many current reports link the increase in 5hmC content in DNA to the demethylating function of TET enzymatic oxidation of 5mC. The results of the present study demonstrate that an increased level of 5hmC in the cerebellum of BTBR T+tf/J mice occurred without changes in the Tet1 and Tet2 expression. This corresponds to similar findings in the mouse hippocampus during aging. A parallel elevation of 5mC and 5hmC in DNA in the cerebellum of BTBR T+tf/J mice and individuals with autism suggest that the increase in 5hmC level is not due to its role as an intermediate during demethylation of DNA. A significant positive correlation between the 8-oxoG and 5hmC in both mouse and human cerebellum suggests that the mechanism of DNA methylation alterations found in this study may be a consequence of an altered cellular redox status and oxidative stress. In conclusion, the results of our study demonstrate that oxidative DNA lesions and an altered pattern of DNA methylation are important molecular features of the autism cerebellar phenotype. The data presented herein point that diminished expression of Ogg1 in the cerebellum of BTBR T+tf/J mice caused by single nucleotide variation in the Ogg1 gene might be a driving force that promotes the accumulation of 8-oxodG in DNA. Similar alterations in 8-oxodG in cerebellar tissue from humans with autism and BTBR T+tf/J mouse model warrant future large-scale studies to specifically address the role genetic alterations OGG1 in pathogenesis of autism in human population. The study of microbial ecology associated with dairy fermentations is fundamental to understand the bases of important traits of dairy products. Traditionally, microbial dynamics in dairy fermentations have been studied with methods based on SP600125 129-56-6 cultivation on selective media followed by phenotypic and/or molecular characterization. These approaches highlighted the role and activity, in cheese manufacturing and ripening, of two microbial groups: starter lactic acid bacteria, with primary function of producing sufficient lactic acid during cheese manufacturing to reduce the pH of the milk; and non-starter LAB, generally adventitious contaminants which grow later, during cheese ripening, with an impact on flavour development. In the last years, approaches to study microorganisms in dairy products have undoubtedly changed. Culture-dependent approaches have shown limitations in terms of recovery rate, mainly related to the lack of knowledge of the real conditions under which most of bacteria are growing in their natural habitat, and the difficulty to develop media for cultivation accurately resembling these conditions. Thus, the cultivable populations may not totally represent the community, and the actual microbial diversity could be misinterpreted. For these reasons, the trend is now towards the use of culture-independent methods because they are believed to overcome problems associate.