Molecular microbial ecology of the gastrointestinal tract: from phylogeny to function.
During the past decade it became evident that anaerobic cultivation-based approaches provides an incomplete picture of the microbial diversity in the GI tract, since at present only a minority of microbes can be obtained in culture. The application of molecular, mainly 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)-based approaches enables researchers to bypass the cultivation step and has proven its usefulness in studying the microbial composition in a variety of ecosystems, including the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This critical review summarizes the impact of these culture-independent approaches on our knowledge of the ecology of the GI tract and provides directions for future studies which should emphasize function of specific strains, species and groups of microbes.
Zoetendal
Erwin G
EG
Dept. of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA.
Cheng
Biao
B
Koike
Satoshi
S
Mackie
Roderick I
RI
D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis; D017753:Ecosystem; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000379:methods*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S