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.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / genetics
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Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / metabolism
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Bacterial Proteins / genetics
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Bacterial Proteins / physiology
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Bacteroides / genetics*
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Bacteroides / physiology
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Biological Evolution
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Carbohydrate Metabolism
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Chromosomes, Bacterial / genetics
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Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
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Genes, Bacterial
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Genome, Bacterial*
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Humans
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Interspersed Repetitive Sequences
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Intestines / microbiology*
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Physical Chromosome Mapping
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Polysaccharides / metabolism
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Proteome
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Sequence Analysis, DNA*
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Sigma Factor / genetics
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Sigma Factor / physiology
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Signal Transduction
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Symbiosis*
Substances
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Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
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Bacterial Proteins
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Polysaccharides
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Proteome
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Sigma Factor