Download Using genetics as proxy in management

Genetics
Department of Genetics, Microbiology and
Toxicology
People
• Professors:
– Elisabeth Haggård
– Ingrid Faye
– Per Palsbøll
• Associate Professor (Lektor):
– Anders Nilsson
• Assistant Professor (FoA):
– Mary Hunt
• Research Associate:
– Martine Bérubé
• Post doctoral researcher:
– Katharina Slätis
• 10 PhD and 3 MSc students
Mary Hunt’s group:
Endocannabinoids
Induce sleep
Thermoregulation
Pain suppression
Appetite control
Cannabis
Endocannabinoids
An example of the newly
identified lipid molecules
N-arachidonylglycine
detected in various
organs in the
body
How are these lipids produced?
How are these processes regulated at the genetic level?
Signalling pathways regulated by these lipids?
Ingrid Faye current projects
Innate immune responses in the malaria
mosquito triggered by:
A. Pattern molecules
(PAMPs)/ antigens from
the human malaria
parasite (Plasmodium
falciparum)
1. Receptors?
2. Signalling pathways?
3. Human/vector common denominators
the response?
A. Bacterial isolates from
the midgut of Anopheles
mosquitoes to be used in
paratransgenics
1.
Field isolate –
Thorsellia anophelis
2. Lab isolate –
Elisabethkingia
anophelis
Paratransgenics - main steps
• Screen for gene
encoded anti-parasitic
peptides/proteins
• Isolate midgut bacteria
• Test anti-parasitic
efficacy of peptides
• Characterize bacteria
• Genetically label
• Re-establish in the gut
• Test efficacy of system
in vivo
• Test in the semi-field
conditions
Research group & funding
• PhD students
– Karolina ErikssonGonzales
– Bo Lindberg
• Masters Students
– Steven Lewis
– Holly Matthews
• EU Network
– COST Action
FA0701
– BioMalPar II
• Funding
– EU INFRAVEC
– ARC
Elisabeth Haggård
PhD students: Lina Sylwan, Sridhar Mandali,
Wilhelmina Sehlén
Project 1. Phage site-specific integrases (Int) and their evolution as tools for directed gene
insertions into unmodified eukaryotic cells.
•Structure-function analysis of the integrases of P2-like phages.
•Target (attB) requirements.
•Efficiency and specificity of insertions in human cells.
Phage
attL
Int IHF
attP
IHF Int Cox
attR
attB
Target
Project 2. Molecular characterization of the simple, but efficient, molecular switches in
the P2 phage family that controls lytic versus lysogenic growth cycles.
•3-D structure of the two repressors, C and Cox, controlling the switch
(collaboration with T. Massad, K. Scaar, P Stenmark, biochemistry).
•Amino acids and nucleotides involved in repressor specificity
•Fluctuation analysis of the switch in the lysogenic state.
C
Pe
Lytic
C
Lysogenic
cox
Pc
-
Cox
Anders Nilsson, GMT
Evolution of P2-like phages
Phage therapy
Phylogenetic relationships between single
genes, as well as groups of genes, from
different taxa reveal significant patterns in
phage genome evolution and phage - host
coevolution.
A common antibiotic multiresistant phenotype of
bacteria depends on horizontally transferred
extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) plasmids.
ESBL Klebsiella pneumoniae outbreaks are
hazardous and hard to deal with in hospitals.
Phylogenies of P2-like phage genes, and gene
clusters, in γ-proteobacteria. Differentiation
and distribution of P2-like phages in
Escherichia and Salmonella strain collections.
Isolation of phages that lyse Klebsiella pneumoniae
strains. Optimisation of compilations of phages for
lysis efficacy on Klebsiella pneumoniae expressing
multiresistant ESBL phenotypes.
↓
↓
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Are P2-like phage genomes modular?
•
What is the relative importance of different
evolutionary mechanisms e.g. horizontal
transfer of genes, recombination etc?
•
Coevolution and host shifting of P2-like
phages - hosts?
Ph D student Hanna Nilsson
Lic thesis (2009): Differentiation and
distribution of P2-like phages.
What is the efficacy of single lytic phages on
different Klebsiella isolates (strains,
serotypes)?
Is a mix of a few lytic phages a good candidate
for phage therapy of ESBL Klebsiella
pneumoniae.
M Sc student (60 hp) Harald Eriksson
Palsbøll Lab:
Genetics in evolution, ecology,
and conservation
People
Current funding
• Research Associate
Martine Bérubé
• US NSF
• Ph student Morten
Tange Olsen
• US MMC
• PhD student JeanLuc Tison
• M Sc student Laetitia
Schmid
• US NMFS
• NV
• Norwegian MRI
• IWC
Examples of ongoing
projects
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Climate change The micro-evolutionary effects of
annual Polar sea ice dynamics in ringed seal (w
Danish EPA and Norwegian Polar Institute)
Community genetics The evolutionary co-dynamics
of Polar bears and their prey; ringed and bearded
seals (w Norwegian Polar Institute)
Evolutionary/molecular genetics Contradicting
signatures of population size changes in mtDNA (w
GNI, MICS and CCS)
Conservation genetics Recent and past changes in
abundance, population structure and genetic diversity
of large whales in the North Atlantic and Antarctic (w
NMFS, MRIs, CCS and MICS, GNI, Oslo U and Cph U)
Population genetics Mate choice and MHC,
transmission and fitness consequences of seasonal
site fidelity (w NMFS and CCS)
Thank You!