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Optogenetics Turns Gut Bacterial Genes On and Off Inside Worms Source: metamorworks/Getty Images December 23, 2020 eLife that shows they could use different colors of light to turn gut bacteria genes on and off while the bacteria were in the intestines of worms. The research was made possible by an optogenetic control system Jeffrey Tabor, PhD, from Rice, has been developing for more than a decade. In the current study his team worked with Meng Wang, PhD, and her group at Baylor. Wang had alre...

Light flips genetic switch in bacteria inside transparent worms HOUSTON - (Dec. 22, 2020) - Baylor College of Medicine researcher Meng Wang had already shown that bacteria that make a metabolite called colanic acid (CA) could extend the lifespan of worms in her lab by as much as 50%, but her collaboration with Rice University synthetic biologist Jeffrey Tabor is providing tools to answer the bigger question of how the metabolite imparts longer life. In a study published in eLife, Wang, Tabor an...

Optogenetics Shows How the Microbiome Affects Longevity Source: Sciepro/Science Photo Library/Getty Images December 21, 2020 Share Studies have shown that gut microbes can influence several aspects of the host’s life, including aging. Given the complexity and heterogeneity of the human gut environment, elucidating how a specific microbial species contributes to longevity has been challenging. To explore the influence of bacterial products on the aging process, scientists at Baylor College of...

 E-Mail Research has shown that gut microbes can influence several aspects of the hosts life, including aging. Given the complexity and heterogeneity of the human gut environment, elucidating how a specific microbial species contributes to longevity has been challenging. To explore the influence of bacterial products on the aging process, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University developed a method that uses light to directly control gene expression and metabolite productio...