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Increasing microbiome knowledge enables the engineering of novel bacterial species. An increased number of (A) correlational studies have linked shifts from a healthy gut to various disease states to corresponding changes in the gut microbiota. Recently developed experimental and predictive methods that explore this correlational information can be used to understand factors pertaining to healthy microbiota states and to generate (B) genetic tools with which novel bacterial chassis in the microbiome can be tamed. These tools include, but are not limited to, plasmids and genome integration strategies for the transfer and maintenance of genetic material as well as parts from synthetic biology toolkits to control gene expression, such as promoters and ribosome binding sites (RBS).

Increasing microbiome knowledge enables the engineering of novel bacterial species. An increased number of (A) correlational studies have linked shifts from a healthy gut to various disease states to corresponding changes in the gut microbiota. Recently developed experimental and predictive methods that explore this correlational information can be used to understand factors pertaining to healthy microbiota states and to generate (B) genetic tools with which novel bacterial chassis in the microbiome can be tamed. These tools include, but are not limited to, plasmids and genome integration strategies for the transfer and maintenance of genetic material as well as parts from synthetic biology toolkits to control gene expression, such as promoters and ribosome binding sites (RBS).

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Techniques by which to genetically manipulate members of the microbiota enable both the evaluation of host-microbe interactions and an avenue by which to monitor and modulate human physiology. Genetic engineering applications have traditionally focused on model gut residents, such as Escherichia coli and lactic acid bacteria. However, emerging effo...

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