The overarching goal of our research is to define the regulatory principles underlying associations of microbial communities with hosts from diverse taxonomic groups.
Novel insights into above topics have already been obtained by the members of the CRC 1182. Our consortium is thus in an ideal position to join forces to deepen our understanding of the metaorganism and validate our findings across the different model systems. In summary, the CRC 1182 “Origin and Function of Metaorganisms” will focus on a research field of high current interest, namely the evolutionary dynamics within metaorganisms and the molecular interactions involved.
To achieve such an integrated view on the metaorganism, our consortium will focus on three main themes:
Molecular basis and evolutionary dynamics of C. elegans-microbiota interactions
The association between a host and its microbiome is of central importance for life-history and evolutionary potential of the interacting organisms. Yet, we still have comparatively little understanding of the exact selective processes and resulting …
Host-microbiota coevolution in the mammalian intestine
This project aims to determine the genetic basis of evolutionary change among mammalian metaorganisms. Through the use of highly sophisticated and unique genetic resources in both the house mouse subspecies complex and humans, we identified …
Colonization dynamics and resilience to fungi in the wheat microbiota
Plants are colonized by a wide diversity of microbes including both eukaryotic and prokaryotic species. Accumulating evidence shows that the plant-associated microbiota plays a role in plant adaptation to various environmental conditions and disease resistance. …
Mathematical modeling of interactions in evolving metaorganisms
Mathematical models can help us to enhance our understanding of a specific observation by exploring its characteristics under a wide range of conditions, including those that cannot be addressed by empirical tests. Moreover, mathematical models …
Host-microbe cross talk in the early metazoan taxa Porifera and anthozoan Cnidaria
We live in a symbiotic world. All metaorganisms alike must have mechanisms in place to discriminate between microorganisms and to establish bacterial colonization during host development. However, the factors that are influencing the processes remain …
Microbiota-host interactions at the base of the metazoan tree
The project continues to address the establishment and functional consequences of the microbiota in the two basal metazoan animals, the Scyphozoan jellyfish Aurelia aurita (Cnidaria) (B2.1, PI Schmitz-Streit) and the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi (Ctenophora) …
Microbial interactions within the metaorganism: mechanisms of bacterial niche specialization and warfare in symbiosis
Bacterial organisms inhabit diverse eukaryotes where their presence can have consequences for important traits of their host such as host development, nutrition or behavior. Eukaryotes thus constitute an ecological niche for microbial communities that utilize …
Towards understanding an ultimately simple metaorganism: impact of symbiotic microbes on developmental processes of Hydra
Animal developmental programs occur within the context of coevolved associations with microbes. Hydra is one of the prime model systems for evolutionary developmental biologists. The fact that symbiotic interactions were discovered to be essential to …
Memory mechanisms of nutritional stress in the gut ecosystem
The C2 project focuses on the interaction of nutritional intake with the resident microbiome and the intestinal mucosa. It uses two complementary experimental systems (Drosophila (C2.1, PI Roeder) and mouse (C2.2, PI Rosenstiel)) to tackle …
New approaches to understanding eco-evolutionary dynamics in metaorganisms
The recognition that all macroorganisms live in symbiotic association with microbial communities has opened up a new field in biology. While most attention in the first CRC 1182 funding phase was placed on bacteria as …
