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 sleepThermoregulationPain suppressionAppetite control

Cannabis

Endocannabinoids

N-arachidonylglycine

How are these lipids produced?How are these processes regulated at the genetic level?Signalling pathways regulated by these lipids?

An example of the newly identified lipid molecules

detected in variousorgans in thebody

Ingrid Faye current projectsInnate 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 paratransgenics1. Field isolate –

Thorsellia anophelis2. 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 Eriksson-Gonzales

– Bo Lindberg • Masters

Students– Steven Lewis– Holly Matthews

• EU Network– COST Action

FA0701– BioMalPar II

• Funding– EU INFRAVEC– ARC

Elisabeth HaggårdPhD 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.

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.

Int IHF

attP

attB

attL

attRIntIHF Cox

Phage

Target

C coxPe

Pc

C

Cox

Lytic

Lysogenic

-

Evolution of P2-like phages

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.

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.

↓

• 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 NilssonLic thesis (2009): Differentiation and distribution of P2-like phages.

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.

Isolation of phages that lyse Klebsiella pneumoniae strains. Optimisation of compilations of phages for lysis efficacy on Klebsiella pneumoniae expressing multiresistant ESBL phenotypes.

↓

• 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

Phage therapy

Anders Nilsson, GMT

Palsbøll Lab:Genetics in evolution, ecology, and conservationPeople• Research Associate

Martine Bérubé• Ph student Morten

Tange Olsen• PhD student Jean-Luc

Tison• M Sc student Laetitia

Schmid

Current funding

• US NSF• US NMFS• US MMC• NV• Norwegian MRI• IWC

Examples of ongoing projects• 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!