Gene Exchange Among Gut Bacteria Is Linked to Industrialization

A study of human populations around the world detects differing rates of horizontal gene transfer in the microbiome depending on what kind of society those people live in.

Written byCatherine Offord

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ABOVE: A Global Microbiome Conservancy member processes microbiome samples in Tanzania.
© GLOBAL MICROBIOME CONSERVANCY / PHOTO BY C. CORZETT

The frequency of gene exchange among the microbes in a person’s gut is linked to the sort of society that person lives in, according to a large international study published today (March 31) in Cell.

The researchers analyzed bacterial DNA to identify recent cases of horizontal gene transfer (HGT), a process that allows individual cells to mix up their genomes and acquire new functions from other bugs in the microbial community without having to reproduce. The team found that species in the gut frequently exchange genetic material, and that they do it more if they’re living inside people in industrialized or urban societies than if their hosts reside in rural or less developed environments.

“What’s novel and really impressive here” is the team’s use of whole-genome sequencing to study thousands of ...

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Meet the Author

Catherine Offord
After undergraduate research with spiders at the University of Oxford and graduate research with ants at Princeton University, Catherine left arthropods and academia to become a science journalist. She has worked in various guises at The Scientist since 2016. As Senior Editor, she wrote articles for the online and print publications, and edited the magazine’s Notebook, Careers, and Bio Business sections. She reports on subjects ranging from cellular and molecular biology to research misconduct and science policy. Find more of her work at her website.
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