Slide 1

Genetics Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Toxicology Slide 2 People Professors: Elisabeth Haggrd Ingrid Faye Per Palsbll Associate Professor (Lektor): Anders Nilsson Assistant Professor (FoA): Mary Hunt Research Associate: Martine Brub Post doctoral researcher: Katharina Sltis 10 PhD and 3 MSc students Slide 3 Mary Hunts group: Endocannabinoids Induce sleep Thermoregulation Pain suppression Appetite control Cannabis Endocannabinoids Slide 4 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 various organs in the body Slide 5 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 Slide 6 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 Slide 7 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 Slide 8 Elisabeth Haggrd PhD students: Lina Sylwan, Sridhar Mandali, Wilhelmina Sehln 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. Phage Target Ccox Pe Pc C Cox Lytic Lysogenic - Slide 9 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 -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 Nilsson Lic thesis (2009): Differentiation and distribution of P2-like phages. A common antibiotic multiresistant phenotype of bacteria depends on horizontally transferred extended-spectrum -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 Slide 10 Palsbll Lab: Genetics in evolution, ecology, and conservation People Research Associate Martine Brub 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 Slide 11 Examples of ongoing projects Climate change Climate change The micro-evolutionary effects of annual Polar sea ice dynamics in ringed seal (w Danish EPA and Norwegian Polar Institute) Community genetics Community genetics The evolutionary co-dynamics of Polar bears and their prey; ringed and bearded seals (w Norwegian Polar Institute) Evolutionary/molecular genetics Evolutionary/molecular genetics Contradicting signatures of population size changes in mtDNA (w GNI, MICS and CCS) Conservation genetics 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 Population genetics Mate choice and MHC, transmission and fitness consequences of seasonal site fidelity (w NMFS and CCS) Slide 12 Thank You!