When the first humans moved out of Africa, they carried their gut microbes with them. Turns out, these microbes also evolved along with them.
The human gut microbiome is made up of hundreds to thousands of species of bacteria and archaea. Within a given species of microbe, different strains carry different genes that can affect your health and the diseases youre susceptible to.
There is pronounced variation in the microbial composition and diversity of the gut microbiome between people living in different countries around the world. Although researchers are starting to understand what factors affect microbiome composition, such as diet, there is still limited understanding on why different groups have different strains of the same species of microbes in their guts.
We are researchers who study microbial evolution and microbiomes. Our recently published study found that not only did microbes diversify with their early modern human hosts as they traveled across the globe, they followed human evolution by restricting themselves to life in the gut.
We hypothesized that as humans fanned out across the globe and diversified genetically, so did the microbial species in their guts. In other words, gut microbes and their human hosts codiversified and evolved together just as human beings diversified so that people in Asia look different from people in Europe, so too did their microbiomes.
To assess this, we needed to pair human genome and microbiome data from people around the world. However, data sets that provided both the microbiome data and genome information for individuals were limited when we started this study. Most publicly available data was from North America and Western Europe, and we needed data that was more representative of populations around the world.
So our research team used existing data from Cameroon, South Korea and the United Kingdom, and additionally recruited mothers and their young children in Gabon, Vietnam and Germany. We collected saliva samples from the adults to ascertain their genotype, or genetic characteristics, and fecal samples to sequence the genomes of their gut microbes.
For our analysis, we used data from 839 adults and 386 children. To assess the evolutionary histories of humans and gut microbes, we created phylogenetic trees for each person and as well as for 59 strains of the most commonly shared microbial species.
When we compared the human trees to the microbial trees, we discovered a gradient of how well they matched. Some bacterial trees didnt match the human trees at all, while some matched very well, indicating that these species codiversified with humans. Some microbial species, in fact, have been along for the evolutionary ride for over hundreds of thousands of years.
We also found that microbes that evolved in tandem with people have a unique set of genes and traits compared with microbes that had not codiversified with people. Microbes that partnered up with humans have smaller genomes and greater oxygen and temperature sensitivity, mostly unable to tolerate conditions below human body temperature.
In contrast, gut microbes with weaker ties to human evolution have traits and genes characteristic of free-living bacteria in the external environment. This finding suggests that codiversified microbes are very much dependent on the environmental conditions of the human body and must be transmitted quickly from one person to the next, either passed down generationally or between people living in the same communities.
Confirming this mode of transmission, we found that mothers and their children had the same strains of microbes in their guts. Microbes that were not codiversified, in contrast, were more likely to survive well outside of the body and may be transmitted more widely through water and soil.
Our discovery that gut microbes evolved right along with their human hosts offers another way to view the human gut microbiome. Gut microbes have passed between people over hundreds to thousands of generations, such that as humans changed, so did their gut microbes. As a result, some gut microbes behave as though they are part of the human genome: They are packages of genes that are passed between generations and shared by related individuals.
Personalized medicine and genetic testing are starting to make treatments more specific and effective for the individual. Knowing which microbes have had long-term partnerships with people may help researchers develop microbiome-based treatments specific to each population. Clinicians are already using locally sourced probiotics derived from the gut microbes of community members to treat malnutrition.
Our findings also help scientists better understand how microbes transition ecologically and evolutionarily from free-living in the environment to dependent on the conditions of the human gut. Codiversified microbes have traits and genes reminiscent of bacterial symbionts that live inside insect hosts. These shared features suggest that other animal hosts may also have gut microbes that codiversified with them over evolution.
Paying special attention to the microbes that share human evolutionary history can help improve understanding of the role they play in human well-being.
See the original post:
Humans evolved with their microbiomes like genes, your gut microbes pass from one generation to the next - The Conversation
- CRISPR: A game-changing genetic engineering technique - January 4th, 2023
- Genetic Counseling Online Course - School of Medicine Columbia ... - January 4th, 2023
- Genetics & Medicine - Site Guide - NCBI - National Center for ... - December 27th, 2022
- Lilly, ProQR to expand genetic medicine development agreement - December 27th, 2022
- Central Dogma and Genetic Medicine - HHMI BioInteractive - November 24th, 2022
- Social, Environmental, Cognitive, and Genetic Influences on the Use of ... - November 24th, 2022
- Genetically modified food controversies - Wikipedia - October 29th, 2022
- BSGM - The British Society for Genetic Medicine - October 13th, 2022
- Genetic and Genomic Medicine - Nationwide Children's Hospital - October 13th, 2022
- Carrier Screening for Genetic Conditions | ACOG - October 13th, 2022
- New NHS genetic testing service could save thousands of children in England - The Guardian - October 13th, 2022
- Vertex, after setbacks, moves forward with second-generation rare disease drug - BioPharma Dive - October 13th, 2022
- Passage Bio Announces Appointment of William Chou, M.D. as Chief Executive Officer - Yahoo Finance - October 13th, 2022
- Metagenomi Announces Participation in October Investor and Industry Conferences - Business Wire - October 4th, 2022
- NovaSeq X machines will make genetic analysis even faster and cheaper - Mezha.Media - October 4th, 2022
- ORYZON to Give Updates on Corporate Progress in October - BioSpace - October 4th, 2022
- e-therapeutics: Fundraise of 13.5 million - BioSpace - October 4th, 2022
- The inheritance of hope curing genetic heart disease now within grasp - British Heart Foundation - October 4th, 2022
- MS Genetic Counseling | Ohio State College of Medicine - September 16th, 2022
- Genetic Counselor - Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science - September 16th, 2022
- UCLA researcher awarded National Academy of Medicine prize for work on genetics of autism - Newswise - September 16th, 2022
- Medical research doesn't serve everyone. This effort hopes to build one of the most diverse health databases ever - Colorado Public Radio - September 16th, 2022
- Precision Medicine Offers Hope for More Targeted Rash Diagnosis and Treatment - Dermatology Times - September 16th, 2022
- Redmond firefighters to 'Fill the Boot' for Muscular Dystrophy Association - KTVZ - September 16th, 2022
- Why Monkeypox Wasnt Another COVID-19 - FiveThirtyEight - September 16th, 2022
- Endometriosis Researchers One Step Closer to Diagnosing Condition With Menstrual Blood - Business Wire - September 16th, 2022
- The Biggest CGT Breakthroughs Through the Eyes of Our 2022 Power List - The Medicine Maker - September 16th, 2022
- When to Use Targeted Therapy for Iodine-Refractory Thyroid Cancer - Targeted Oncology - September 16th, 2022
- Gracell Biotechnologies to Participate in Three Upcoming Investor Conferences - PR Newswire - September 16th, 2022
- CRISPR is 10: A decade of gene editing refinements presents new ways to address agricultural diseases thought to be incurable - Genetic Literacy... - September 16th, 2022
- Sarepta Therapeutics Announces Recipients of Route 79, The Duchenne Scholarship Program, for ... - The Bakersfield Californian - September 8th, 2022
- 'Record' Gains in Bringing Research Closer to the Patient - Applied Clinical Trials Online - September 8th, 2022
- Metagenomi Announces Participation in September Investor and Industry Conferences - Business Wire - September 8th, 2022
- Sarepta Therapeutics Announces That FDA has Lifted its Clinical Hold on SRP-5051 for the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - Yahoo Finance - September 8th, 2022
- Studies Reveal Aggressive Prostate Cancer Linked to Ancestral Heritage - DocWire News - September 8th, 2022
- Lonza and Touchlight collaboration will expands customer's access to DNA - Labiotech.eu - September 8th, 2022
- Genetic variants in miR-145 gene are associated with the risk of asthma in Taiwan | Scientific Reports - Nature.com - September 8th, 2022
- Elderly are more affected by COVID brain fog, but 'cognitive rehab' could be an effective treatment - Genetic Literacy Project - September 8th, 2022
- A therapy found to improve cognitive function in patients with Down syndrome - EurekAlert - September 8th, 2022
- Ovid turns to gene therapy startup to restock drug pipeline - BioPharma Dive - August 30th, 2022
- Morris Animal Foundation Golden Retriever Lifetime Study Celebrates 10 Years - PR Newswire - August 30th, 2022
- Immortal jellyfish genes identified that may explain their long lives - New Scientist - August 30th, 2022
- Walk Again Or Stop Blindness. How Gene Therapy Is Revolutionizing Medicine - Nation World News - August 30th, 2022
- ElevateBio and the University of Pittsburgh Announce Creation of Pitt BioForge BioManufacturing Center at Hazelwood Green to Accelerate Cell and Gene... - August 30th, 2022
- Therapeutic Effects of Tretinoin | JIR - Dove Medical Press - August 30th, 2022
- Physical Activity May Have a Stronger Role than Genes in Longevity - Newswise - August 30th, 2022
- BridgeBio, Baylor College of Medicine to Collaborate on Genetic Disease ... - August 22nd, 2022
- New $2.8-million gene therapy becomes most expensive medicine in history - New Atlas - August 22nd, 2022
- Molecular Map Reveals Insights Into the Genetic Drivers of CLL - The ASCO Post - August 22nd, 2022
- Biopharmaceutical Company Expands Clinical Trials On Texas A&M-Developed Angelman Syndrome Treatment - Texas A&M University Today - August 22nd, 2022
- Restrictive abortion laws are limiting the options parents have after receiving genetic test results, experts say - Yahoo News - August 22nd, 2022
- Marketing and Industry Trends Influencing Precision Medicine in 2022 - Healthcare Tech Outlook - August 22nd, 2022
- expert reaction to study investigating use of genetic risk score for prostate cancer in men with lower urinary tract symptoms to predict diagnosis -... - August 22nd, 2022
- As the Smithsonian wraps a genome exhibit, leaders in the field reflect - STAT - August 22nd, 2022
- Why some people suffer more from COVID-19 than others - EurekAlert - August 22nd, 2022
- Q3 2022 Earnings Forecast for LogicBio Therapeutics, Inc. Issued By William Blair (NASDAQ:LOGC) - Defense World - August 22nd, 2022
- Next generation patient avatars: Expanding the possibilities with MicroOrganospheres - EurekAlert - August 22nd, 2022
- Masters Program in Genetic Counseling - Perelman School of Medicine at ... - August 14th, 2022
- Admissions | Master's Program in Human Genetics & Genetic Counseling ... - August 14th, 2022
- The Silver Lining Of Innovation in Genetic Medicine - Pharmaceutical Executive - August 14th, 2022
- Genetics Team Serves as Go-to for Mom of Son With Extremely Rare Disorder - Stanford Medicine Children's Health Blog - Stanford Children's Health - August 14th, 2022
- UI professor receives grant from National Institutes of Health - Iowa Now - August 14th, 2022
- Lilly's Taltz (ixekizumab) Now Available in New, Citrate-Free Formulation to Reduce Injection Site Pain for Improved Patient Experience - PR Newswire - August 14th, 2022
- Research Roundup: 21 Genes Linked to Increased Risk of Alzheimer's and More - BioSpace - August 14th, 2022
- Personalised medicine made in hospitals can revolutionise the way diseases are treated the challenge now will be implementing it - The Conversation... - August 14th, 2022
- Beyond Paxlovid for covid-19: The hunt for better covid medications - Grid - August 14th, 2022
- PVM to Play Role in Research on New Patent-pending Method to Mass-produce Antitumor Cells to Treat Blood Diseases and Cancer - Purdue University - August 14th, 2022
- Analyzing Kiromic BioPharma (NASDAQ:KRBP) and LogicBio Therapeutics (NASDAQ:LOGC) - Defense World - August 14th, 2022
- Corporate America's Abortion Radicalism - The American Conservative - August 14th, 2022
- A team of Oxford and Mexican researchers want to diversify genomic databases. Can they end 'parachute science,' too? - STAT - August 14th, 2022
- The aging heart accumulates mutations while losing the ability to repair them - EurekAlert - August 14th, 2022
- Generation Bio Reports Business Highlights and Second Quarter 2022 Financial Results - GuruFocus.com - August 5th, 2022
- Population Genetic Testing: Save Lives And Money, While Avoiding Financial Toxicity - Forbes - August 5th, 2022
- Genetic Counselors Scramble Post- Roe to Provide Routine Pregnancy Services without Being Accused of a Crime - Scientific American - August 5th, 2022
- GENERATION BIO CO. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. (form 10-Q) - Marketscreener.com - August 5th, 2022
- Sangamo Therapeutics Reports Recent Business Highlights and Second Quarter 2022 Financial Results - Yahoo Finance - August 5th, 2022
- Researchers discover one of the largest known bacteria-to-animal gene transfer inside a fruit fly - EurekAlert - August 5th, 2022
- Intellia Therapeutics Announces Second Quarter 2022 Financial Results and Highlights Recent Company Progress - Yahoo Finance - August 5th, 2022
- Medical Student's Crime In Cipolletti: They Found A Man's DNA Under The Victim's Thumb - Nation World News - August 5th, 2022
- A new era: After winding path and safety scares, gene therapy enters the clinic - Sydney Morning Herald - August 5th, 2022