[SCAN] Phylogenomics of symbiont-mediated protection to pathogens
Luis Teixeira, Host-microorganism interactions lab, IGC
| When |
19 Jun, 2013
from
12:00 pm to 01:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Where | Auditorium |
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ITQB Scan Seminar
Title: Phylogenomics of symbiont-mediated protection to pathogens
Speaker: Luis Teixeira
Affiliation: Host-microorganism interactions Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência,
Abstract:
Wolbachia are intracellular bacterial symbionts that are able to protect various insect hosts from viral infections. This tripartite interaction was initially described in Drosophila melanogaster carrying wMel, its natural Wolbachia strain. wMel has been shown to be genetically polymorphic, and there has been a recent change in variant frequencies in natural populations. We have compared the antiviral protection conferred by different wMel variants, their titres and influence on host longevity, in a genetically identical D. melanogaster host. We have also sequenced the genomes of these Wolbachia. Our results allow us to relate the Wolbachia variants different phenotypes and phylogeny. This work helps to understand the natural variation in wMel and its evolutionary dynamics, and inform the use of Wolbachia in arthropod-borne disease control.
