In:
eLife, eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd, Vol. 6 ( 2017-06-23)
Abstract:
From the depths of the ocean to the lining of the human gut, almost every environment on Earth is home to a unique community of microorganisms referred to as a microbiome. Within these communities, unrelated microorganisms can exchange genetic information through a process known as horizontal gene transfer. For example, genes linked to antibiotic resistance are often transferred between different microorganisms, which can create increasingly drug resistant microbes and has important implications for human health. Horizontal gene transfer has been studied for almost 100 years, but examining it directly is challenging because, almost by definition, it requires studying a community of microbes rather than one microbe in isolation. As such, researchers are looking for simple models of microbial communities that can be easily manipulated in experiments. Bonham et al. have now turned to the outer surface of cheese, also known as cheese rind, to better understand horizontal gene transfer. As a model system, the cheese rind microbiome is relatively simple to work with because cheese rind is easy to replicate in the laboratory, and the microbes growing on cheese can be grown on their own or in combinations with other microbes. By comparing the genetic material of 165 cheese-associated bacteria to one another, Bonham et al. identified over 4,000 genes that were shared between the bacteria, including several large clusters of genes that were shared by many species. Many of the identified genes (about 23% to be precise) appear to help the microorganisms acquire nutrients that are known to be in short supply on the surface of cheese surface, including iron. Bacteria typically use specialized molecules called siderophores to scavenge for iron and uptake systems to carry the iron-bound siderophore back into the cell. Notably, only the genes associated with the uptake systems were found in some of the shared gene clusters. This finding suggests that horizontal gene transfer has allowed some microbes to “cheat” and take up iron-bound siderophores without expending energy to produce the siderophores themselves. Using the cheese rind microbiome as a model system, it becomes possible to explore how horizontal gene transfer works in more detail than before. A better understanding of this process can then be applied to other important microbiomes, including those where genes conferring antibiotic resistance are commonly exchanged.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2050-084X
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.001
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.002
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.003
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.004
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.005
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.006
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.007
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.008
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.009
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.010
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.011
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.060
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.22144.061
Language:
English
Publisher:
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Publication Date:
2017
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2687154-3
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