title: A genomic view of the human-Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Magnus K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Bjursell
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Himrod
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Lynn K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Carmichael
authors.forename: Herbert C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Lora V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Hooper
authors.forename: Jeffrey I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005075:Biological Evolution; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D020071:Interspersed Repetitive Sequences; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D020161:Physical Chromosome Mapping; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism; D020543:Proteome; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011134:Polysaccharides; D020543:Proteome; D012808:Sigma Factor