Descripción del proyecto
Bacterias que ayudan a equilibrar la dieta de las sanguijuelas hematófagas
Los humanos albergamos una rica diversidad de microorganismos, conocidos colectivamente como microbioma, y la mayoría de ellos nos aportan muchos beneficios. Así que quizá no sea sorprendente saber que no somos los únicos organismos con tales relaciones simbióticas beneficiosas. Si las sanguijuelas que se alimentan solo de sangre no tuvieran la ayuda de bacterias que viven en un órgano especializado, tendrían deficiencia de vitamina B. Con el apoyo de las Acciones Marie Skłodowska-Curie, el proyecto LEECHSYMBIO está investigando esta singular interacción entre el microbio y el huésped, con el objetivo de poner a esta sanguijuela como sistema modelo para futuros estudios de simbiosis nutricional en alimentación sanguínea.
Objetivo
Strict blood-feeding leeches are confronted with a strong B-vitamin deficiency and thus rely on bacterial symbionts to supplement their unbalanced diet. Recent evidence showed that the Mexican leech Haementeria officinalis houses in a distinct specialised organ intracellular Providencia siddallii symbionts, which have a highly reduced genome but maintained genes required for B vitamin biosynthesis. The aim of this proposal is to establish this leech as a model system for studying the intricacies of nutritional blood-feeding symbioses. The genomes of Providencia symbionts of 4 additional Haementeria species will be sequenced and analysed to identify core-metabolic pathways and to reconstruct the evolutionary history of this symbiosis. A draft genome sequence of the Mexican leech Ha. officinalis will be determined, providing unique insights into metabolic complementarity. Comparison with the available genome of the related non-blood-feeding leech Helobdella robusta will facilitate identification of genomic determinants of the acquisition/loss of the bacteriome and the blood feeding habit. Bacteriome development and colonization will be investigated using different developmental stages and advanced microscopy techniques. Host control and nutritional role of the symbiont will be studied using isotope probing experiments and state-of-the-art chemical imaging and metabolomics methods. This project will provide comprehensive insights into a nutritional symbiosis in medically relevant blood-feeding animals, including the evolution of specialised symbiosis organs and metabolic interactions between both partners. It will bring together a postdoc with a strong background in bioinformatics and bacterial symbionts with a host lab focused on experimental and molecular analysis of microbe-host interactions. This set-up ensures both an ideal environment for the postdoc on his way to an truly independent researcher, and an efficient two-way transfer of knowledge.
Ámbito científico
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopy
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesnutrition
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological behavioural sciencesethologybiological interactions
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsgenomes
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
1010 Wien
Austria