Targeted Protein Evolution in the Gut Microbiome by Diversity-Generating Retroelements

Everywhere you go, you carry a population of microbes in your gastrointestinal tract that outnumber the human cells making up your body. There is still much to be understood about the gut microbiome, but its connections to health suggest the potential for curating this community to address disease. 

This microbiome has important connections to health in your gut, brain and immune system. Some resident bugs produce vitamins, antioxidants, nutrients and other helpful compounds. Even those whose direct effects seem neutral take up space that makes it harder for harmful microbes to move in.

Dr. Jeff F. Miller and his team investigated a way that certain genes, known as diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs), can change the genetic makeup of microbes. Our gastrointestinal tract is home to a vast population of these microbes—so numerous that they actually outnumber our own human cells. Their research uncovered that about one-quarter of the DGRs found in bacteria typically present in a healthy digestive system target genes that help these microbes form colonies in new environments. These findings are a significant step forward in understanding the microbiome and its important role in our overall health, including its influence on our gut, brain, and immune system.

Read the article published in the journal Science.