Gut microbiome

The gut microbiome is also being investigated for its role in severe malnutrition states such as kwashiorkor (156,157). Indeed, a complex interplay exists between the gut microbiota and host metabolism, and likely has far-ranging implications on normal metabolic homeostasis as well as several disease states, the mechanisms of which we are just beginning to elucidate. 

Foodomics can be an adequate strategy to investigate the complex issues related to prevention of future diseases and health promotion through the mentioned functional foods and nutraceuticals. It is now well known that health is heavily influenced by genetics. However, diet, lifestyle, and environment can have a crucial influence on the epigenome, gut microbiome and, by association, the transcriptome, proteome and, ultimately, the metabolome. When the combination of genetics and nutrition/Ufestyle/environment is not properly balanced, poor health is a result. 

S. Samuel, Jeffrey I. Gordon, David A. Reiman, Claire M. Fraser-Liggett, and Karen E. Nelson. 2006. Metagenomic analysis of the human distal gut microbiome. Science 312 U55-I359-... 

So, having gone from coal tar to Gleevec by way of Hatch-Waxman, virtual companies, and the ineluctable gut microbiome, all in a mere two chapters and all by way of background, it s now high time to turn our attention to what the real-world drug researcher will find in industry today. 

See Ley, R.E., et al. Microbial ecology Human gut microbes associated with obesity. Nature 2006, 444, 1022-1023, and Tumbaugh, P.J., et al. An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvest. Nature 2006, 444, 1027-1031. 

The evolution of human food consumption happened alongside the development of a vast bacterial ecosystem resident within the human body this gut microbiome comprises a cargo of commensals and symbionts that has collectively evolved to survive in the distal part of the human intestine. This community of microorganisms is thought to harbour more than 100-fold the number of genes within the human genome (BSckhed et al 2004). This genetic payload is carried by an excess of lO microbial cells with over 1000 bacterial types (Wallace et al 2011) - the evolution of which probably happened in response to the particular diet available to humans at a particular time. 

Tumbaugh, P. J., Ridaura, V. K., Faith, J. J., Rey, F. E., Knight, R., Gordon, J. I. (2009). The effect of diet on the human gut microbiome a metagenomic analysis in humanized gnoto-biotic mice. Science Translational Medicine, 1(6), 6ral4. 

SPOR A, KOREN 0 and LEY R (2011) Unravelling the effects of the environment and host genotype on the gut microbiome. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 9,279-290. 

Samb-Ba B, Mazenot C, Gassama-Sow A, Dubourg G, Richet H, Hugon P, Lagier JC, Raoult D, Fenollar F. MALDl-TOF identifieation of the human gut microbiome in people with and without diarrhea in Senegal. Plos ONE. 2014 9(5). 

Lagier JC, Armougom F, Million M, Hugon P, Pagnier I, Robert C, Bittar F, Fournous G, Gimenez G, Maraninchi M, Trape JF, Koonin EV, La Scola B, Raoult D. Microbial culturomics paradigm shift in the human gut microbiome study. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2012 18(12) 1185-93. doi 10.1111/1469-0691.12023. 

Hartman AL, Lough DM, Barupal DK, et al. Human gut microbiome adopts an alternative state following small bowel transplantation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2009 106 17187-17192. 

Turnbaugh PJ, Quince C, Faith JJ, et al. Organismal, genetic, and transcriptional variation in the deeply sequenced gut microbiomes of... 

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