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    Mobile Genes From the Mother Shape the Baby’s Microbiome

    Tiny genetic sequences in a mother’s bacteria seem to hop into the infant's bacteria, perhaps ensuring a healthy microbiome later in life. The post Mobile Genes From the Mother Shape the Baby’s Microbiome appeared first on Nautilus.
    by Yasemin Saplakoglu Jan 20, 2023 5 minutes

    A mother gives her baby her all: love, hugs, kisses … and a sturdy army of bacteria.

    These simple cells, which journey from mother to baby at birth and in the months of intimate contact that follow, form the first seeds of the child’s microbiome—the evolving community of symbiotic microorganisms tied to the body’s healthy functioning. Researchers at the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University recently conducted the first large-scale survey of how the microbiomes of a mother and her infant coevolve during the first year of life. Their new study, published in Cell  in December found that these maternal contributions aren’t limited to complete cells. Small snippets of DNA called mobile genetic elements hop from the mother’s bacteria to the baby’s bacteria, even months after birth.

    This manner of transfer, which has never been seen before, a principal bioinformatician at the Wellcome Sanger Institute who was not part of the study.

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