Advertisement

Abstract

The distal human intestine represents an anaerobic bioreactor programmed with an enormous population of bacteria, dominated by relatively few divisions that are highly diverse at the strain/subspecies level. This microbiota and its collective genomes (microbiome) provide us with genetic and metabolic attributes we have not been required to evolve on our own, including the ability to harvest otherwise inaccessible nutrients. New studies are revealing how the gut microbiota has coevolved with us and how it manipulates and complements our biology in ways that are mutually beneficial. We are also starting to understand how certain keystone members of the microbiota operate to maintain the stability and functional adaptability of this microbial organ.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Supplementary Material

File (backhed.som.pdf)

References and Notes

1
D. C. Savage, Annu. Rev. Microbiol.31, 107 (1977).
2
A. Brune, M. Friedrich, Curr. Opin. Microbiol.3, 263 (2000).
3
W. B. Whitman, D. C. Coleman, W. J. Wiebe, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.95, 6578 (1998).
4
P. Hugenholtz, B. M. Goebel, N. R. Pace, J. Bacteriol.180, 4765 (1998).
5
P. Seksik et al., Gut52, 237 (2003).
6
J. Dunbar, S. M. Barns, L. O. Ticknor, C. R. Kuske, Appl. Environ. Microbiol.68, 3035 (2002).
7
W. E. Moore, L. V. Holdeman, Appl. Microbiol.27, 961 (1974).
8
P. B. Rainey, K. Rainey, Nature425, 72 (2003).
9
M. Travisano, G. J. Velicer, Trends Microbiol.12, 72 (2004).
10
K. S. McCann, Nature405, 228 (2000).
11
S. Yachi, M. Loreau, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.96, 1463 (1999).
12
A. S. Fernandez et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol.66, 4058 (2000).
13
B. M. Goebel, E. Stackebrandt, Appl. Environ. Microbiol.60, 1614 (1994).
14
E. G. Zoetendal, A. D. Akkermans, W. M. De Vos, Appl. Environ. Microbiol.64, 3854 (1998).
15
E. G. Zoetendal et al., Microb. Ecol. Health Dis.13, 129 (2001).
16
K. Suzuki et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.101, 1981 (2004).
17
M. Breitbart et al., J. Bacteriol.185, 6220 (2003).
18
J. A. Fuhrman, Nature399, 541 (1999).
19
C. Winter, A. Smit, G. J. Herndl, M. G. Weinbauer, Appl. Environ. Microbiol.70, 804 (2004).
20
J. Xu et al., Science299, 2074 (2003).
21
J. A. Shipman, J. E. Berleman, A. A. Salyers, J. Bacteriol.182, 5365 (2000).
22
More information about these enzymes is available at http://afmb.cnrs-mrs.fr/CAZY.
23
J. L. Sonnenburg et al., Science307, 1955 (2005).
24
J. L. Sonnenburg, L. T. Angenent, J. I. Gordon, Nature Immunol.5, 569 (2004).
25
R. E. Ley, J. I. Gordon, unpublished data.
26
F. Taddei, I. Matic, B. Godelle, M. Radman, Trends Microbiol.5, 427 (1997).
27
F. Bäckhed et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.101, 15718 (2004).
28
M. Yamanaka, T. Nomura, M. Kametaka, J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol. (Tokyo)23, 221 (1977).
29
H. C. Towle, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.98, 13476 (2001).
30
R. H. Rolandelli et al., J. Nutr.119, 89 (1989).
31
K. M. Flegal, R. P. Troiano, Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord.24, 807 (2000).
32
N. I. McNeil, Am. J. Clin. Nutr.39, 338 (1984).
33
R. K. Thauer, K. Jungermann, K. Decker, Bacteriol. Rev.41, 100 (1977).
34
A. J. Stams, Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek66, 271 (1994).
35
T. L. Miller, M. J. Wolin, Arch. Microbiol.131, 14 (1982).
36
O. Chacon, L. E. Bermudez, R. G. Barletta, Annu. Rev. Microbiol.58, 329 (2004).
38
T. Kuwahara et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.101, 14919 (2004).
39
A. M. Cerdeño-Tárraga et al., Science307, 1463 (2005).
40
M. Y. Galperin, Nucleic Acids Res.32, D3 (2004).
41
Materials and methods are available as supporting material on Science Online.
42
We thank L. Angenent for many helpful discussions. Work cited from the authors' lab is supported by the NIH and NSF. F.B. and J.L.S. are supported by postdoctoral fellowships from the Wenner-Gren and W. M. Keck Foundations, respectively.

(0)eLetters

eLetters is a forum for ongoing peer review. eLetters are not edited, proofread, or indexed, but they are screened. eLetters should provide substantive and scholarly commentary on the article. Embedded figures cannot be submitted, and we discourage the use of figures within eLetters in general. If a figure is essential, please include a link to the figure within the text of the eLetter. Please read our Terms of Service before submitting an eLetter.

Log In to Submit a Response

No eLetters have been published for this article yet.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Science
Volume 307 | Issue 5717
25 March 2005

Submission history

Published in print: 25 March 2005

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Notes

Supporting Online Material
www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/307/5717/1915/DC1
Materials and Methods
Tables S1 to S3
References

Authors

Affiliations

Fredrik Bäckhed*
Center for Genome Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.
Ruth E. Ley*
Center for Genome Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.
Justin L. Sonnenburg
Center for Genome Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.
Daniel A. Peterson
Center for Genome Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.
Jeffrey I. Gordon [email protected]
Center for Genome Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.

Notes

To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Article Usage

Altmetrics

Citations

Cite as

Export citation

Select the format you want to export the citation of this publication.

Cited by

  1. Normal human microbiota and dysbiosis: Implications for health and disease, Arhiv za farmaciju, 74, 1, (1-22), (2024).https://doi.org/10.5937/arhfarm74-46612
    Crossref
  2. Effect of web-based personalized nutrition management on gut microbiota in Korean patients with irritable bowel syndrome aged between 20 and 30 years, Journal of Nutrition and Health, 57, 1, (75), (2024).https://doi.org/10.4163/jnh.2024.57.1.75
    Crossref
  3. New Perspectives on the Risks of Hydroxylated Polychlorinated Biphenyl (OH-PCB) Exposure: Intestinal Flora α-Glucosidase Inhibition, Toxics, 12, 4, (237), (2024).https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12040237
    Crossref
  4. Progress in Research on the Gut Microflora of the Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens), Microorganisms, 12, 3, (478), (2024).https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12030478
    Crossref
  5. Buds and Bugs: A Fascinating Tale of Gut Microbiota and Cannabis in the Fight against Cancer, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25, 2, (872), (2024).https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25020872
    Crossref
  6. The Effect of Cross-Sex Fecal Microbiota Transplantation on Metabolism and Hormonal Status in Adult Rats, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25, 1, (601), (2024).https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010601
    Crossref
  7. Milk Bioactive Compounds and Gut Microbiota Modulation: The Role of Whey Proteins and Milk Oligosaccharides, Foods, 13, 6, (907), (2024).https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13060907
    Crossref
  8. Coffee and Microbiota: A Narrative Review, Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 46, 1, (896-908), (2024).https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46010057
    Crossref
  9. Microbiota Implications in Endocrine-Related Diseases: From Development to Novel Therapeutic Approaches, Biomedicines, 12, 1, (221), (2024).https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12010221
    Crossref
  10. Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiome Aggravated Male Infertility in Captivity of Plateau Pika, Biomolecules, 14, 4, (403), (2024).https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14040403
    Crossref
  11. See more
Loading...

View Options

Check Access

Log in to view the full text

AAAS ID LOGIN

AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS Members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.

Log in via OpenAthens.
Log in via Shibboleth.

More options

Purchase digital access to this article

Download and print this article for your personal scholarly, research, and educational use.

Purchase this issue in print

Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.

View options

PDF format

Download this article as a PDF file

Download PDF

Full Text

FULL TEXT

Media

Figures

Multimedia

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share on social media