Across Europe and beyond, scientists are increasingly discovering that the invisible world inside our bodies holds the key to better health. The human gut is home to trillions of microorganisms — a vast ecosystem known as the microbiome — that plays a central role in how we digest food, fight disease, and regulate our immune system. Research into this microbial community is transforming modern medicine, suggesting that nurturing a healthy gut could improve wellbeing in ways once thought impossible.
Every person carries a population of microbes in their gastrointestinal tract that outnumbers their body’s own human cells. Many of these microscopic residents help by producing essential vitamins, nutrients, and protective compounds, while others contribute indirectly by crowding out harmful bacteria. The balance of this internal ecosystem is crucial to our overall health and, as new research shows, its adaptability may be one of its most powerful traits.
A team of scientists from the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA has uncovered a genetic mechanism that helps bacteria in the gut evolve at remarkable speed. The study, published in Science, focuses on what are known as diversity-generating retroelements, or DGRs — small clusters of genes that can deliberately introduce changes in bacterial DNA. These controlled mutations allow bacteria to adapt quickly to new conditions, giving them a competitive edge and a better chance to thrive.
Researchers discovered that DGRs are more abundant in the gut microbiome than in any other environment measured on Earth. Yet their impact inside the human body had not been fully understood until now. According to the study, about one-quarter of these elements target genes essential for bacteria to attach to surfaces and form new colonies — a key step in establishing a community within the digestive tract.
The scientists also found that DGRs are not confined to one organism. They can move between bacterial strains and are even passed from mothers to their infants, helping newborns populate their own digestive systems from the start. This ability to share adaptive traits may ensure that beneficial bacteria take hold early and stay resilient throughout life.
“One of the real mysteries in the microbiome is exactly how bacteria colonize us,” said Jeff F. Miller, senior author of the study, director of the California NanoSystems Institute, and professor of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics at UCLA. “It’s a highly dynamic system intimately connected with human physiology, and this knowledge about DGRs could one day be applied for engineering beneficial microbiomes that promote good health.”
The research represents a significant step toward understanding how the microbial world within us evolves and maintains the delicate balance that supports human life. As efforts grow in Europe and around the world to develop probiotics and therapies that strengthen the microbiome, these findings offer a glimpse into how we might one day design microbial ecosystems that actively promote health and prevent disease.
For more information, visit the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA website.
Source: UCLA, Science Journal.
