Department of Microbiome Science, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Germany; email:
Annu Rev Microbiol. 2023 Sep 15;77:427-449. doi: 10.1146/annurev-micro-032421-112304. Epub 2023 Jun 20.
Genetic manipulation is necessary to interrogate the functions of microbes in their environments, such as the human gut microbiome. Yet, the vast majority of human gut microbiome species are not genetically tractable. Here, we review the hurdles to seizing genetic control of more species. We address the barriers preventing the application of genetic techniques to gut microbes and report on genetic systems currently under development. While methods aimed at genetically transforming many species simultaneously in situ show promise, they are unable to overcome many of the same challenges that exist for individual microbes. Unless a major conceptual breakthrough emerges, the genetic tractability of the microbiome will remain an arduous task. Increasing the list of genetically tractable organisms from the human gut remains one of the highest priorities for microbiome research and will provide the foundation for microbiome engineering.
遗传操作对于研究微生物在其环境中的功能（例如人类肠道微生物组）是必要的。然而，绝大多数人类肠道微生物物种是不可遗传操作的。在这里，我们回顾了掌握更多物种遗传控制的障碍。我们讨论了阻碍将遗传技术应用于肠道微生物的障碍，并报告了当前正在开发的遗传系统。虽然旨在同时原位遗传转化许多物种的方法具有前景，但它们无法克服个体微生物存在的许多相同挑战。除非出现重大的概念突破，否则微生物组的遗传可操作性仍将是一项艰巨的任务。增加人类肠道中可遗传操作的生物体列表仍然是微生物组研究的最高优先事项之一，并且将为微生物组工程提供基础。
