ERATO Evolving Symbiosis Project International Seminar Series #04

Prof. Kayla King (Univ. Oxford, UK)
"Microbial protection against infection: an evolutionary perspective"

Abstract：Many animal and plant species harbour microbes in their microbiota that protect them from parasite infection. These ‘protective microbes’ can be a significant component of host defence. Using multiple microbial systems (e.g., worms, bacteria, viruses), my group has demonstrated that host-associated microbes can rapidly evolve to defend their animal hosts against infection by virulent parasites. We also show that these protective microbes can drive major changes in host tolerance, parasite virulence and coevolutionary dynamics. Our results indicate that microbes in hosts are important in shaping infection outcomes, now and over evolutionary time.

ERATO Evolving Symbiosis Project International Seminar Series #04
Sponsored by ERATO FUKATSU Evolving Symbiosis Project
https://www.jst.go.jp/erato/fukatsu/english/

Co-sponsored by ERATO NOMURA Microbial Community Control Project
https://www.jst.go.jp/erato/nomura/en/index.html

Co-sponsored by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas "Post-Koch Ecology”
https://postkoch.jp/about/

Co-sponsored by Microbiology Research Center for Sustainability (MiCS), University of Tsukuba
https://www.mics.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/

Co-sponsored by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas "Constrained & Directional Evolution”
http://constrained-evo.org/english.html