EU research sequences human gut microbe genome

A new study by EU-funded researchers sheds new light on the influence that microbes in our guts have on our health and could lead to the development of new treatments and diagnostic tests for a variety of diseases.

According to news reports today, EU-funded researchers have now sequenced the genome of the community of microbes that live in our guts - and the findings of the study, which are published in the journal Nature, represents the first major outcome of the METAHIT (Metagenomics of the human intestinal tract) project, which is funded by 11.4 million euros from the Health theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

"A vital contribution"

Scientists say that are bodies house some 100 trillion microbes, most of which live in our intestines where they make a vital contribution to our health by breaking down toxins, making vitamins and amino acids and boosting our immune system. However, despite their seemingly significant importance to our wellbeing, little is known about this community of 'friendly bacteria' in our guts.

As such, the METAHIT researchers have analysed the microbial DNA found in faecal samples taken from 124 adult Europeans. The study participants came from Denmark and Spain and included people of healthy weight as well as overweight and obese individuals. Some also suffered from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Over the course of their research, the team sequenced 576.7 gigabases of genetic material, more than any other similar study to date. This microbial gene set comprises 3.3 million genes, making it 150 times bigger than the human genome.

Ninety-nine percent of the microbial species in the samples turned out to be bacteria; 1,150 species were identified, many of them new to science. Each individual harboured at least 160 microbe species in their guts, and the researchers were surprised to find that the gut microbe communities found in the samples were fairly similar to one another.

Global view

"Beyond providing the global view of the human gut microbiome, the extensive gene catalogue we have established enables future studies of association of the microbial genes with human phenotypes and, even more broadly, human living habits," said Peer Bork of the European Molceular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Germanty. "We anticipate that these studies will lead to a much more complete understanding of human biology than the one we presently have."

The aim of the METAHIT project is to characterise the genes and the functions of the microbes that live in our gut and investigate how they affect human health. The 4-year project began in 2008 and brings together 14 partners from China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK.

Matthew Buttell

Matt Buttell graduated from Bath Spa University in 2006. Since then he has written for several publications, before moving to the web. He now writes solely for the internet, continuing to cover key business issues while managing his own personal blog.

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