Small molecules from the human microbiota

Abstract

Microbial bioactive molecules Human cells are outnumbered by the microbial cells of our commensals by an order of magnitude. All of these organisms are metabolically active and secrete multiple bioactive molecules. Genomics has unveiled a remarkable array of biosynthetic gene clusters in the human microbiota, which encode diverse metabolites. Donia et al. review how molecules ranging from lantibiotics and microcins to indoxyl sulfate and immunemodulatory oligosaccharides and lipids could affect the health and physiology of the whole organism, depending on the composition of an individual's microbial community. Science , this issue p. 10.1126/science.1254766