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Updated: Aug 15, 2025

An Intestinal Gut Organ Culture System for Analyzing Host-Microbiota Interactions
Published on: June 30, 2021
Within-host evolution of the gut microbiome
Tanja Dapa1, Daniel Pgh Wong2, Kimberly S Vasquez3
1Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.
Abstract:
Gut bacteria inhabit a complex environment that is shaped by interactions with their host and the other members of the community. While these ecological interactions have evolved over millions of years, mounting evidence suggests that gut commensals can evolve on much shorter timescales as well, by acquiring new mutations within individual hosts. In this review, we highlight recent progress in understanding the causes and consequences of short-term evolution in the mammalian gut, from experimental evolution in murine hosts to longitudinal tracking of human cohorts. We also discuss new opportunities for future progress by expanding the repertoire of focal species, hosts, and surrounding communities, and by combining deep-sequencing technologies with quantitative frameworks from population genetics.
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