Green Fluorescent Poop and Gut Inflamation

Inflammatory bowel diseases researchers hope to test for using genetically modified bacteria (File:Crohn's Disease vs Colitis ulcerosa.svg, Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons)

At the moment, monitoring the human digestive tract is a difficult task; however, the health of the digestive tract is important to one's overall health. In the quest to find better methods of testing for inflammatory bowel diseases (such as the ones pictured above), researchers from Rice University worked to edit Escherichia coli bacteria--a common, well-studied intestinal microbe--for this purpose. First, they worked to isolate genes that allow for the detection of sulfur compounds linked to inflammation. They then inserted this gene along with that of green fluorescent protein and tested it in healthy mice and in mice with inflammation of the bowels. Analysis of the excrement for green fluorescent protein showed that mice with inflammation of the bowels expressed the protein while healthy mice did not. The researchers hope to apply this in humans in the form of an easy, take-home medical test.

This article is an application of techniques done in lab with plasmid DNA and helps further emphasize the versatility of using plasmids to accomplish a variety of tasks.

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Original Published Journal Article

Genetic link to susceptibility and resistance to inflammatory bowel disease

It is know that Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a common problem in the world but no cure has been found yet for this disease. IBD is the constant inflammation of the gut and how it develops is still unknown. But researchers recently found that the Cd14 gene in mice is correlated with the formation of IBD. This Cd14 gene plays a role of protecting the body from IBD. If the mice had a deficiency of this gene, then the inflammation of the gut was more severe. When there was a higher stimulation of this gene in mice, it was seen that it played a protective role against inflammation in the intestines. This finding suggests new ideas for scientist to see if soluble Cd14 could help with future medical research on this disease.

This is very interesting to see how scientists use this new finding to tackle a solution for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. This may have been the first step to finding a cure for this common widespread disease.

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Could having worms be beneficial for Crohn's patients?

A recent study suggest that parasitic worms could lead to new drug development for people with Crohn's disease and other bowel related diseases.  Mice with a mutation in the Nod2 gene were used in the experiment because its similar to the gene in humans that is associated with Crohn's.  The introduction of parasites caused the mice to have more mucus in their intestines than uninfected mice, as well as more bacteria from the Clostridiules family and less B. vulgatus bacteria.  This shift in the bacteria populations and increase of mucus in the intestines was shown to calm inflammation in the bowels.

Studies showed that chemicals from T helper cells, interleukin-4 and interleukin-13, are triggered by the worms which stimulate mucus production.  The Clostridiales bacteria feed on the mucus which allows them to outcompete the bacteria from the Bateriodales family.  When the interleukin-13 was blocked, mucus production was prevented and there was no shift in the bacteria populations.  Scientists believe that giving interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 to uninfected mice could alter the production of mucus and balance of bacteria without the introduction of parasites to the organism.

Although it seems like it could be a good idea, the article states that some individuals that took a deworming drug experienced negative consequences.  For these individuals, they had less Clostridiales and more Bacteriodales bacteria populations in their gut due to a significant drop in Trischuris trichiura whipworm eggs.  Evidently, more research needs to be done.