Key points from article :
Light could be used to manipulate the metabolism of gut bacteria to prolong our lifespans.
Optogenetics, where cells are engineered to have genes that respond to light.
Optogenetics would benefit the health of human hosts, extend lifespan.
Used different colors of light to turn-on specific genes in the bacterium E. coli inside the intestine of a nematode worm.
Team created E. coli that would only produce colanic acid when exposed to green light.
Gut bacteria produced more colanic acid and their worm hosts lived slightly longer.
Colanic acid promotes longevity by helping mitochondria.
"The stronger the light, the longer the lifespan." - Meng Wang, biologist.
Controlling gut bacteria through optogenetics could reduce risk of certain conditions.
"Light is really the only signal that has enough precision to turn on bacterial genes..." - Jeffrey Tabor, researcher.
Study by Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University published in eLife Sciences.
