The major gut symbiont reduces its genome when it lives in vitro

摘要

Our bodies are colonized by a large mass of symbiont microorganisms, the majority of which resides in the gut. The fact is that the number of these microbes is close to, or, according to some estimates, may even exceed the number of our own cells . The gut bacteria are known to participate in the digestive process by breaking down foodstuffs. They also produce a range of specific products that are vital for us, such as vitamins, and so our health directly depends on these 'insiders'.