All multicellular organisms have colonies of microbes that have evolved with their hosts in the first place.The natural microbiome - all the bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in and within the body - is vital to the host: for example, to facilitate the absorption of nutrients and to fend off pathogens.

In a recent study, a team from Keele University, along with international experts from the University of California, Berkeley, and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, developed a new, improved model system for microbiome research, known as the Caenorhabditis elegans microbiome.Resources "(CeMbio).It is based on 12 species of bacteria that represent the natural composition of the nematode microbiome.The model will support more realistic microbiome studies in a variety of studies.The Resources of CeMbio and their major characteristics are recently described in the Scientific journal G3: Genes Genomes Genetics by the Group On Evolutionary Biology and Genetics, led by Professor Hinrich Schulenburg, and the Group on Medical Systems Biology, led by Professor Christoph Kaleta.

Based on previous work by keele University researchers, the natural bacterial community of caenorhabditis elegans has been identified for the first time, enabling researchers to study the effects of natural microbiome on the life function and fitness of nematodes.The then fully identified nematode microbiome was then narrowed down to 12 representative bacteria, which were then used in nematode colonization experiments."We transferred these bacteria to sterile worms in pure and mixed cultures and then observed their growth.""In this way, we were able to characterize the ability of individual bacteria to colonize in the worm's gut and the interrelationships between different bacteria in the natural host environment," Dirksen continued.

With the help of the CeMbio model, Kiel researchers now provide resources that are publicly accessible to researchers in the world's nematode research community.In addition to bacterial strains that can be easily grown in laboratory conditions, this includes fully disclosed genetic information and complete models of metabolic networks.This resource and the resulting database now provide the international research community with a novel toolkit for studying all aspects of nematode biology from growth to development as it interacts with the natural microbiome.

In addition, Kiel researchers hope the new tool will serve as a model system for microbiome research.In short, CeMbio provides scientists around the world with a novel resource for studying nematode models in the natural environment.This work therefore makes an important contribution to the overall understanding of the mechanisms by which the microbiome affects the biological health and disease of its host.