研究人員研發(fā)出了一種改進(jìn)了的、用來分析在我們腸道中和平相處的細(xì)菌群落的技術(shù)，這使得他們能夠?qū)@些細(xì)菌群落隨著時(shí)間的推移而呈現(xiàn)的穩(wěn)定性有所了解。對于為了長期的健康干預(yù)而用這些多樣的微生物作為標(biāo)靶而言,，定義人類腸道微生物群落的穩(wěn)定性是至關(guān)重要的。然而，科學(xué)家們對有關(guān)這些微生物株在我們腸道中是多么難以撼動(dòng)卻知之甚少?，F(xiàn)在，Jeremiah J. Faith及其同事研發(fā)出了一種測序方法來準(zhǔn)確追蹤這些菌株,。他們用這種被稱作LEA-seq的方法對37人的糞便中的微生物群落進(jìn)行了采樣,，他們中有4人當(dāng)時(shí)正在參加一個(gè)為期32周的進(jìn)食流質(zhì)飲食的項(xiàng)目，而其余的人則按其喜好進(jìn)食,。Faith及其同事發(fā)現(xiàn),，在采樣者中有60%的細(xì)菌菌株在長達(dá)5年的時(shí)間中仍然保持著穩(wěn)定。研究人員估計(jì),，某些菌株甚至?xí)掷m(xù)不變幾十年,。通過評估這些人的微生物株的隨著時(shí)間的推移而改變及/或當(dāng)那些吃特別飲食而減肥的人的微生物株的改變，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),，體重減輕對微生物株組成的改變比時(shí)間的推移要有更明顯的影響,。這表明，腸道微生物群的改變可作為宿主健康及功能的標(biāo)志物。通過比較相關(guān)及不相關(guān)個(gè)體的全部微生物基因組,，研究人員還發(fā)現(xiàn),，家庭成員共同擁有某些相同的微生物株，提示我們在很早的時(shí)候通過我們的父母而得到的微生物株能夠?yàn)槲覀冋麄€(gè)一生提供他們的代謝產(chǎn)物,。在目前針對微生物組對健康的影響的研究繼續(xù)進(jìn)行的情況下,，由本研究提供的對人類腸道微生物群穩(wěn)定性的見解可被當(dāng)作是一種參考工具。與此同時(shí),，由Faith及其同事研發(fā)的新型,、低誤差測序方法可能會(huì)讓用于個(gè)性化疾病預(yù)防的常規(guī)糞便采樣變得更加可行。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦的英文摘要
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1237439
The Long-Term Stability of the Human Gut Microbiota
Jeremiah J. Faith, Janaki L. Guruge, Mark Charbonneau, Sathish Subramanian, Henning Seedorf, Andrew L. Goodman, Jose C. Clemente, Rob Knight, Andrew C. Heath, Rudolph L. Leibel, Michael Rosenbaum, Jeffrey I. Gordon
A low-error 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing method, in combination with whole-genome sequencing of >500 cultured isolates, was used to characterize bacterial strain composition in the fecal microbiota of 37 U.S. adults sampled for up to 5 years. Microbiota stability followed a power-law function, which when extrapolated suggests that most strains in an individual are residents for decades. Shared strains were recovered from family members but not from unrelated individuals. Sampling of individuals who consumed a monotonous liquid diet for up to 32 weeks indicated that changes in strain composition were better predicted by changes in weight than by differences in sampling interval. This combination of stability and responsiveness to physiologic change confirms the potential of the gut microbiota as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic target.
