Biomed Radio - Washington University School Of Medicine In St. Louis

The DNA of bacteria that live in the body can pass a trait to offspring in a way similar to the parents’ own DNA, a new mouse study suggests. According to the study’s authors, the discovery means scientists need to consider a significant new factor – microbial DNA– in their efforts to understand how genes influence illness and health. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS HAVE DISCOVERED THAT GENES AREN’T THE ONLY THINGS THAT CAN PASS ALONG TRAITS TO OFFSPRING. IN STUDIES OF MICE, THEY’VE LEARNED THAT THE BACTERIA IN THE GUT ALSO IS CAPABLE OF CARRYING TRAITS FROM MOTHER TO BABY. JIM DRYDEN REPORTS… IT’S BECOME CLEAR IN RECENT YEARS THAT MUCH OF WHAT MAKES US “US” ISN’T HUMAN TISSUE. MICROBES THAT COLONIZE OUR BODIES ACTUALLY PERFORM SEVERAL FUNCTIONS THAT OUR OWN CELLS DON’T. AND, IT TURNS OUT THAT, AT LEAST IN MICE, THE BACTERIA FROM THE GUT ALSO HAS THE CAPACITY TO PASS TRAITS FROM MOTHERS TO THEIR OFFSPRING. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS SKIP VIRGIN AND THADDEUS STAPPENBECK WERE STUDYING MICE, IN EXPER