The Human Microbiota - Essay Example

Biology 106, Spring Human Microbiome (Microbiota) Diseases and Gut Microbiome The human distal gut bears an immense assortment of symbiotic micro-organisms that have evolved together with our species. The vast assortment of these symbiotic micro-organisms in the human gut as well as their collective intermingling genomes is known gut microbiome plus is critical to human health. Latest studies propose that the gut microbiome conducts numerous key biochemical roles for the host , in addition to that, disorders of the gut microbiome are linked with numerous as well as various human processes (Greenblum, Peter and Elhanan 1) (Kinross, Ara and Jeremy 1).

The gut microbiome takes part in broad range host related processes and has remarkable effect on human health (Greenblum, Peter and Elhanan 1).The gut microbiome has been straightforwardly caught up in the etiopathogenesis of a number of pathological conditions. These include: inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD’s), Autism, Circulatory disease and Obesity. In addition to that, gut microbiome also influence: immune system response as well as conditioning, dietary calorific availability, post-surgical recovery and drug toxicity plus metabolism.

Gut Microbiome as well conducts significant physiological roles that define the host, such as: intestinal response, immune system maturation, xenobiotic as well as energy metabolism and epithelial cell injury repair (Kinross, Ara and Jeremy 1). The gut microbiome, in most mammals, mainly consists of 4 bacterial phyla that execute most of the various physiological processes in the host, these include: Actino-bacteria, Fermicutes, Proteobacteria as well as Bacteriodetes. Every host has a characteristic biological association with its gut microbiome plus by definition this controls individual threat of disease.

Recent advances in systems biology founded on the next generation ‘omics’ techniques have been able to explain the gut microbiome comprehensively at a functional (proteomic, metabolic as well as transcriptomic) and genetic level. Consequently, these studies have generated new knowledge about the gut microbiome’s genetic variability among individuals, species as well as populations. Furthermore, the studies have highlighted the significance of gut microbiome to human health (Kinross, Ara and Jeremy 1).

Being aware of the genetic variation of gut microbiomes, within as well as among hosts, would assist in gaining insight into the evolutionary forces that shape these communities. Furthermore, studying the genetic variation of human gut microbiome may well provide insight into budding relations among this community as well as disease (Stower 1). As a result, an understanding of gut microbiome activity is imperative to establishing its significance in disease pathogenesis for several systemic conditions such as: inflammatory bowel disease, obesity as well as cardio-vascular disease.

Moreover, an understanding of human microbiome activity is also critical to the advancement of potential personalized approaches of healthcare as well as the provision of prospective new targets of drug development (Kinross, Ara and Jeremy 1). Describing the dealings of human microbiome with the host, its capability, as well as its role in a variety of disease conditions; has the prospect of presenting profound understanding of both normal human physiology as well as human disease (Greenblum, Peter and Elhanan 1).

Works CitedGreenblum, Sharon, Peter J. Turnbaugh, and Elhanan Borenstein. "Metagenomic systems biology of the human gut microbiome reveals topological shifts associated with obesity and inflammatory bowel disease." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109.2 (2012): 594-599.Kinross, James M., Ara W. Darzi, and Jeremy K. Nicholson. "Gut microbiome-host interactions in health and disease." Genome Med 3.3 (2011): 14.Stower, Hannah. "Metagenomics: Personalized gut microbiome variants." Nature Reviews Genetics 14.2 (2012): 80-81.