Good bacteria in the gut can produce a chemical signal that affects the human genome
The changes in the genome may help to fight infections and prevent cancer
The chemical signal is produced by bacteria from the digestion of fruits and vegetables
Scientists from the Babraham Institute near Cambridge in collaboration with colleagues from Brazil (here and here) and Italy have discovered a way that good bacteria in the gut can control genes in our cells. The work, published today (9th January) in Nature Communications, shows that chemical messages from bacteria can change the location of key chemical markers throughout the human genome. By communicating in this way, the bacteria may help to fight infections and to prevent cancer.
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