Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered that a single gene allows a bacteria to migrate to new host species.Both marine species bobtail squid and pinecone fish use bacteria-based bioluminescence as part of their camouflage and hunting techniques. The same species of bacteria, Vibrio fischeri, was found in both marine animals with one exception: the difference of a single additional gene in the variety present in the squid. This extra gene serves as a regulatory agent that allows the bacteria to colonize the new host species.
Virtually every animal known (including humans) has a variety of microorganisms specifically associated with that species, and microbial life crossing species to infect a new host is very rare. Scientists previously believed this rarity was due to bacteria requiring a wide set of new genes to successfully infect a different animal.
This research reveals that a single regulatory gene is all that is necessary to migrate to a new host species. Knowledge of this process may assist in the development of new drugs or therapies as a single gene is easier to target for the prevention or treatment of infection.
These results were published in the February 1st issue of Nature.
Source: ScienceDaily
No comments:
Post a Comment