1. A genomic view of the human-Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron symbiosis.
- Author
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Xu J, Bjursell MK, Himrod J, Deng S, Carmichael LK, Chiang HC, Hooper LV, and Gordon JI
- Subjects
- Adult, Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins genetics, Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins metabolism, Bacterial Proteins genetics, Bacterial Proteins physiology, Bacteroides physiology, Biological Evolution, Carbohydrate Metabolism, Chromosomes, Bacterial genetics, Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial, Genes, Bacterial, Humans, Interspersed Repetitive Sequences, Physical Chromosome Mapping, Polysaccharides metabolism, Proteome, Sigma Factor genetics, Sigma Factor physiology, Signal Transduction, Bacteroides genetics, Genome, Bacterial, Intestines microbiology, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Symbiosis
- Abstract
The human gut is colonized with a vast community of indigenous microorganisms that help shape our biology. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of the Gram-negative anaerobe Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, a dominant member of our normal distal intestinal microbiota. Its 4779-member proteome includes an elaborate apparatus for acquiring and hydrolyzing otherwise indigestible dietary polysaccharides and an associated environment-sensing system consisting of a large repertoire of extracytoplasmic function sigma factors and one- and two-component signal transduction systems. These and other expanded paralogous groups shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying symbiotic host-bacterial relationships in our intestine.
- Published
- 2003
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