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 ...
