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Crossing the eukaryote-prokaryote divide: A ubiquitin homolog in the human commensal bacterium Bacteroides fragilis

The resident microbiota of the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract is comprised of ~2000 bacterial species, the majority of which are anaerobes. Colonization of the GI tract is important for normal development of the immune system and provides a reservoir of catabolic enzymes that degrade ingested pla...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Patrick, Sheila, Blakely, Garry W.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Landes Bioscience 2012
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3463472/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23061022
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/mge.21191
Descripción
Sumario:The resident microbiota of the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract is comprised of ~2000 bacterial species, the majority of which are anaerobes. Colonization of the GI tract is important for normal development of the immune system and provides a reservoir of catabolic enzymes that degrade ingested plant polysaccharides. Bacteroides fragilis is an important member of the microbiota because it contributes to T helper cell development, but is also the most frequently isolated Gram-negative anaerobe from clinical infections. During the annotation of the B. fragilis genome sequence, we identified a gene predicted to encode a homolog of the eukaryotic protein modifier, ubiquitin. Previously, ubiquitin had only been found in eukaryotes, indicating the bacterial acquisition as a potential inter-kingdom horizontal gene transfer event. Here we discuss the possible roles of B. fragilis ubiquitin and the implications for health and disease.