Word: gordon
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...fresh and frozen human feces, the bacteria from which took hold and colonized in the gut of the mice. If that surprises you, it absolutely stunned the researchers. "We were surprised that so much of the diversity present in human microbial communities could be recaptured in mice," says Gordon, who has been studying gut microbiota for more than five years...
...main advantage was that Gordon and his team now had the cutting-edge DNA-sequencing capability to scan and analyze all the genes contained in those bacteria. That meant researchers could determine not only which species of bacteria were present and in what proportions, but also which genes these bugs were actively using in different conditions. Before such genomic-analysis technology became available, researchers could study only the gut microbes (animal or human) that could be cultured outside their intestinal home - something that not all of the oxygen-shunning bugs were amenable to - but never the complete microbiota...
...profile" could potentially serve as a diagnostic tool for identifying who might have a propensity for obesity. If, for instance, your gut environment contains a preponderance of Firmicutes, then your body may be predisposed to digest calories in a way that leads to greater fat storage. In fact, in Gordon's earlier work with identical twins of different weights, he found that the obese twin tended to have more Firmicutes colonies than the leaner...
...Gordon also found in his mouse populations that changing the animals' diet caused a dramatic and rapid shift in the population of bacteria in their gut. Switching a mouse from low-fat plant chow to a high-fat Western diet resulted in an explosion of Firmicutes in less than...
Ultimately, says Gordon, with additional research, this work could lead to the identification of microbial markers that would make up a kind of obesity or leanness profile - a vital-stats sheet of the gut world that would help people understand how their bodies are likely to respond to calories. Beyond that, the possibilities are even more exciting. With more research, Gordon sees potential even for applying to agriculture the knowledge gained from these mice - we could grow more foods that are specifically designed to provide the optimal balance of nutrients and energy for various life stages. "This vast universe...