Microbiome Project Defines Normal Bacterial Makeup Of The Body

by bill - 2021-02-23 10:11:52 ( in education, science, biology) [php version] rebuild (1408)

"HMP researchers also reported that this plethora of microbes contribute more genes responsible for human survival than humans contribute. Where the human genome carries some 22,000 protein-coding genes, researchers estimate that the human microbiome contributes some 8 million unique protein-coding genes or 360 times more bacterial genes than human genes. [emphasis ours] This bacterial genomic contribution is critical for human survival. Genes carried by bacteria in the gastro-intestinal tract, for example, allow humans to digest foods and absorb nutrients that otherwise would be unavailable."