Mammals shape their microbiome to prevent disease

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 - 20:01 in Biology & Nature

How the host shapes the microbiota is unclear. Gut microbes are well known to contribute to health and disease, but what has been less clear is how the host controls gut microbes. A study published January 13 in Cell Host & Microbe now reveals that mice and humans produce small molecules (microRNAs) from their GI tract, which are shed in feces, to regulate the composition of gut microbes and thereby protect against intestinal diseases such as colitis.

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