Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Methods to Assess Microbial Communities01:19

Methods to Assess Microbial Communities

57
Microbial communities, comprising bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic microorganisms, inhabit diverse ecosystems and play crucial roles in environmental and biological processes. Their diversity is defined by three main parameters: species richness (the number of distinct species), species abundance (the relative quantity of each species), and species evenness (how uniformly individual species are distributed in various locations). These factors together shape the structure and ecological balance...
57
Microbiota of the Large Intestine01:27

Microbiota of the Large Intestine

94
The large intestine hosts the most densely populated microbial ecosystem in the human body. This complex community primarily consists of anaerobic bacteria, with Bacillota (formerly Firmicutes) and Bacteroidota (formerly Bacteroidetes) as the predominant groups. The distribution of these microbes varies along different sections of the large intestine, influenced by local environmental factors such as oxygen availability and nutrient composition.The cecum, located at the beginning of the large...
94
Modern Molecular Taxonomy01:29

Modern Molecular Taxonomy

830
Advancements in molecular biology have revolutionized the identification and characterization of bacteria, with multiple methods leveraging DNA sequencing for enhanced precision. As sequencing technologies improve and costs decline, these approaches are increasingly used in clinical, environmental, and evolutionary studies.Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) examines several housekeeping genes, essential chromosomal genes encoding cellular functions, to distinguish strains. Approximately...
830
Introduction to the Human Microbiota01:22

Introduction to the Human Microbiota

162
Microorganisms colonize various regions of the human body, including the mouth, nasal passages, throat, stomach, intestines, urogenital tract, and skin. The total number of microbial cells is estimated to range from 10¹³ to 10¹⁴—comparable to, or exceeding, the number of human somatic cells. This host–microbiome relationship has led to the conceptualization of humans as supraorganisms, wherein microbial communities perform vital roles in development, immunity,...
162
Methods to Assess Microbial Populations01:30

Methods to Assess Microbial Populations

93
Assessing microbial populations is crucial for understanding microbial roles in health, ecology, and industry. Various complementary techniques—both culture-based and molecular—enable detailed analysis of microbial abundance, diversity, and function.Viable Plate CountThe viable plate count is a traditional culture-based method used to estimate the number of living microbes in a sample. After serial dilution, the sample is spread onto nutrient agar plates. Each viable cell forms a...
93
Functions of the Gut Microbiota01:18

Functions of the Gut Microbiota

145
The gut microbiota includes trillions of microorganisms that colonize the human gastrointestinal tract, including bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi. This complex ecosystem plays a critical role in maintaining intestinal and systemic health. Most of these microbes inhabit the large intestine, establishing a relatively stable and diverse community that contributes to gut homeostasis through various metabolic, immunological, and protective mechanisms.Dominant bacterial phyla, such as...
145

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Intestinal Energy Absorption is Associated with Post-Bariatric Surgery Weight Loss.

Obesity surgery·2026
Same author

Characterization of the gut microbiota in patients with stage III colorectal cancer: A case-control study.

Gene·2025
Same author

Smoking-induced gut microbial dysbiosis mediates cancer progression through modulation of anti-tumor immune response.

iScience·2025
Same author

Intestinal energy harvest is associated with post-bariatric surgery weight loss.

Research square·2024
Same author

Metabolic and Immune Consequences of Antibiotic Related Microbiome Alterations during first-line Tuberculosis Treatment in Bamako, Mali.

Research square·2023
Same author

Dietary Calcium and Risk of Microscopic Colitis.

Clinical and translational gastroenterology·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
11:22

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing

Published on: October 15, 2019

29.3K

Utilizing "omics" tools to study the complex gut ecosystem.

Anthony Fodor1

  • 1Bioinformatics and Genomics, UNC Charlotte, 9201 University City BLVD, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA, afodor@uncc.edu.

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|July 6, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A healthy gut microbiome balances microbes to prevent inflammation. Disruptions, or dysbiosis, increase disease risk, but new omics technologies help unravel this complexity for better research.

More Related Videos

Visualization of Gut Microbiota-host Interactions via Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization, Lectin Staining, and Imaging
09:31

Visualization of Gut Microbiota-host Interactions via Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization, Lectin Staining, and Imaging

Published on: July 9, 2021

10.2K
A Method to Define the Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Colon Microbiome Biodiversity in a Mouse Colon Tumor Model
08:14

A Method to Define the Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Colon Microbiome Biodiversity in a Mouse Colon Tumor Model

Published on: February 28, 2018

8.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
11:22

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing

Published on: October 15, 2019

29.3K
Visualization of Gut Microbiota-host Interactions via Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization, Lectin Staining, and Imaging
09:31

Visualization of Gut Microbiota-host Interactions via Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization, Lectin Staining, and Imaging

Published on: July 9, 2021

10.2K
A Method to Define the Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Colon Microbiome Biodiversity in a Mouse Colon Tumor Model
08:14

A Method to Define the Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Colon Microbiome Biodiversity in a Mouse Colon Tumor Model

Published on: February 28, 2018

8.5K

Area of Science:

  • Gut microbiome research
  • Immunology
  • Genomics and metagenomics

Background:

  • A balanced gut microbiome is crucial for immune tolerance and preventing disease.
  • Microbial dysbiosis, an imbalance in gut microbes, is linked to IBS, IBD, and colorectal cancer.
  • Studying the gut ecosystem is complex due to high microbial diversity and individual variability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the application of advanced
  • omics
  • technologies in studying the gut ecosystem.
  • To highlight considerations for designing experiments and clinical trials investigating gut dysbiosis.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on
  • omics
  • technologies (genomics, metagenomics, etc.).
  • Analysis of challenges and opportunities in microbiome research.
  • Consideration of experimental and clinical trial design factors.

Main Results:

  • Omics
  • technologies offer powerful tools to describe the complex gut ecosystem.
  • Understanding microbial dysbiosis requires advanced analytical approaches.
  • Careful experimental design is essential for reliable microbiome studies.

Conclusions:

  • New
  • omics
  • technologies are revolutionizing the study of the gut microbiome.
  • Addressing challenges in microbiome research will advance our understanding of gut health and disease.
  • Optimized experimental designs are key to translating microbiome insights into clinical applications.