Impact of mobile genetics elements and horizontal gene transfer on bacteria-host adaptation: a genomic view (MobileGenomics)

Basic data for this project

Description

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a major role in the diversification and the evolution of bacterial species. It contributes to the rapid evolution and to the emergence of specific lineages through the gain of new properties resulting of en bloc acquisition of several genes like those conferring new metabolic capacities, adhesion properties or antibiotics resistance. The transfer mechanisms may involve transformation, transduction mediated by phages or conjugation involving diverse mobile genetic elements (MGE). HGT may take place within the same species or between closely related ones, but also among more distantly related bacteria sharing the same environment and even with archea and eukaryotes. Thus HGT is a central question in the study of the evolution of bacteria and it is a key issue to understand the emergence of specific clones and the rapid adaptation to changing environments like those encountered during the interaction with a host either as a commensal, a probiotic or as a pathogen and in the shift from a commensal to a pathogen. We propose to study MGE belonging to different families (plasmids, integrative conjugative elements and pathogenicity islands (PAI)) and gene transfer in bacterial pathogens, commensals, and probiotics. The study will allow identifying common and specific mechanisms of niche adaptation, colonization and virulence acquisition: