Biologists from the University of Rice (USA) have created a bacterium that helps to determine inflammation of the intestine in colitis by the color of stool, as reported by the Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. net The experimental microorganism interacts with intestinal cells at the molecular level, allowing you to track the course of the disease and the effectiveness of treating colitis.

The first experiments in mice confirmed the effectiveness of the original approach to monitoring colitis in animals.

The authors of the discovery were the bioengineering professor Jeffrey Tabor (Jeffrey Tabor), Dr. Kristina Daeffler (Kristina Daeffler) and their colleagues from Baylor College of Medicine. Details of the study are published in the scientific publication Molecular Systems Biology.

"The intestine of mammals becomes a native harbor for trillions of microorganisms that play a role in health and disease. But this is a dark and inaccessible place - not many technologies can study in detail the intestine and its microflora. Genetically modified bacteria, developed in our laboratory, have a tremendous potential in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases, "say the authors.

Experts in the field of synthetic biology, such as Tabor, are engaged in reprogramming unicellular (yet!) Organisms, as an engineer can program robots. As a result of their work, a bacterium has emerged that has no analogues in nature and carries biosensors for diagnosis and monitoring of the inflammatory process in the intestine.

"Based on previous studies, we assumed that in Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis in the intestine to be increased thiosulfate level. We have created the first reliable tool for assessing the content of thiosulphate in feces - a biological tool, "says Tabor.

The bacterium sensor was Escherichia coli ("E. coli"), which was taught to synthesize a bright green fluorescent protein under the action of specific stimuli - thiosulphate molecules.

During the experiments, scientists gave mice with colitis and their healthy relatives orally two drops of bacterial drug.

Just a few hours later, stool bowel movements showed a level of inflammation in the intestine.

The faeces of sick animals do not glow bright green and do not externally look like ordinary ones, as you might think. For the study, a flow cytometer is needed, so at home, analysis is not possible.

"Now we plan to build in the bacteria a bright blue pigment gene that patients can see with the naked eye at home," the researchers said.

The work of Professor Taibor was carried out with the support of the Welsh Foundation, the Department of Naval Research of the United States, the National Institutes of Health and the University of Rice.

medbe. en.

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