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Research on gene therapy reported by scientists at Washington University, Medical Department
2007 NOV 22 -- "The adult human intestine contains trillions of bacteria, representing hundreds of species and thousands of subspecies. Little is known about the selective pressures that have shaped and are shaping this community's component species, which are dominated by members of the Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes divisions," researchers in the United States report. "To examine how the intestinal environment affects microbial genome evolution, we have sequenced the genomes of two members of the normal distal human gut microbiota, Bacteroides vulgatus and Bacteroides distasonis, and by comparison with the few other sequenced gut and non-gut Bacteroidetes, analyzed their niche and habitat adaptations. The results show that lateral gene transfer, mobile elements, and gene amplification have played important roles in affecting the ability of gut-dwelling Bacteroidetes to vary their cell surface, sense their environment, and harvest nutrient resources present in the distal intestine," wrote J. Xu and colleagues, Washington University, Medical Department. The researchers concluded: "Our findings show that these processes have been a driving force in the adaptation of Bacteroidetes to the distal gut environment, and emphasize the importance of considering the evolution of humans from an additional perspective, namely the evolution of our microbiomes." Xu and colleagues published their study in Plos Biology (Evolution of symbiotic bacteria in the distal human intestine. Plos Biology, 2007;5(7):1574-1586). For additional information, contact J.I. Gordon, Washington University, School Medical, Dept. of Genome Science, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. Publisher contact information for the journal Plos Biology is: Public Library Science, 185 Berry St., Ste. 1300, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. Keywords: United States, St. Louis, Biotechnology, Gene Therapy, Genetics, Genomics, Washington University, Medical Department. This article was prepared by Genetics & Environmental Business Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2007, Genetics & Environmental Business Week via NewsRx.com.
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