[SCAN] Host-Microbe Symbiosis in SymbNET

In the first part of the seminar, I will present the activities and opportunities for ITQB researchers as part of SymbNET -  Genomics and Metabolomics in a Host-Microbe Symbiosis Network. This European twinning project has as partners IGC, ITQB, EMBL, University of Lausanne and University of Kiel. It aims at promoting collaborations in this field and capacitating IGC and ITQB in genomics and metabolomics. SymbNET activities include exchange visits of researchers, collaborative projects, courses, and meetings.

In the second part of the seminar, I will give a brief overview of the research in our group on host-microbe interactions using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system. We are studying Wolbachia, the most common intracellular bacteria in animals, and want to understand how it protects the host against infections. This protection is currently being used to reduce dengue transmission by the deployment of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes. Moreover, we want to understand how Wolbachia titres are regulated and its implications for the cost and benefits of the interaction. Finally, we are also studying the gut microbiota from wild isolates of Drosophila and using it to understand gut colonization specificity and regulation.