Methanobrevibacter Smithii: Difference between revisions
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==Description and significance== | ==Description and significance== | ||
Methanobrevibacter smithii is a methanogenic Euryarchaeote. It makes up 10% of all anaerobes in the colons of healthy adults, making it the dominant archaeon in the human gut ecosystem | Methanobrevibacter smithii is a methanogenic Euryarchaeote. It makes up 10% of all anaerobes in the colons of healthy adults, making it the dominant archaeon in the human gut ecosystem. Metagenomic studies compared gut microbial communities of genetically obese mice with lean mice and found that obese mice contain a higher representation of genes involved in polysaccharide degradation and have more archaea. Methanobrevibacter smithii affects specificity and efficiency of bacterial digestion of dietary polysaccharides, influencing the person’s calorie harvest and body fat. This suggests that Methanobrevibacter smithii may be a therapeutic target for reducing energy harvest in obese humans (3). | ||
==Genome structure== | ==Genome structure== | ||
Revision as of 16:46, 24 October 2011
A Microbial Biorealm page on the genus Methanobrevibacter Smithii
Classification
Archaea; Euryarchaeota; Methanobacteria; Methanobacteriales; Methanobacteriaceae; Methanobrevibacter
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NCBI: Taxonomy |
Description and significance
Methanobrevibacter smithii is a methanogenic Euryarchaeote. It makes up 10% of all anaerobes in the colons of healthy adults, making it the dominant archaeon in the human gut ecosystem. Metagenomic studies compared gut microbial communities of genetically obese mice with lean mice and found that obese mice contain a higher representation of genes involved in polysaccharide degradation and have more archaea. Methanobrevibacter smithii affects specificity and efficiency of bacterial digestion of dietary polysaccharides, influencing the person’s calorie harvest and body fat. This suggests that Methanobrevibacter smithii may be a therapeutic target for reducing energy harvest in obese humans (3).
Genome structure
Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes and plasmids? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence?
Cell structure, metabolism & life cycle
Provide a physical and biochemical description of the organism. What kind of organism is it, what does it look like, how is it built, what are its metabolic properties, how can it be identified, what is it's life cycle, &c. In other words, describe the organism from its perspective.
Ecology (including pathogenesis)
Describe its habitat, symbiosis, and contributions to environment. If it is a pathogen, how does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Describe virulence factors and patient symptoms.
Interesting feature
Describe in detail one particularly interesting aspect of your organism or it's affect on humans or the environment.
