MULTIPHAGE
Financiado
Phage co-infection: a missing link in deciphering phage co-evolutionary dynamics
Phage genomes represent an impressive mosaicism with different genomic regions having distinct evolutionary histories resulting from horizontal gene transfer. By initiating an estimated 10^25 bacterial infections globally every se...
Phage genomes represent an impressive mosaicism with different genomic regions having distinct evolutionary histories resulting from horizontal gene transfer. By initiating an estimated 10^25 bacterial infections globally every second, phages encounter and recombine with DNA of the host or of prophage origin, further adding to their genome mosaicism. Accumulating evidence, including from my work, suggest that the simultaneous infection of bacterial host by multiple phages (co-infection) could also be an important driver of phage genome evolution. However, methodological limitations have so far prevented rigorous testing of this hypothesis due to failure of studying phage co-infection in natural settings. MULTIPHAGE will overcome these limitations by developing a novel approach for precisely deciphering how phage co-infection governs the co-evolutionary dynamics of phage genomes by pursuing three objectives. First, my team will quantify the prevalence of phage co-infection by constructing phage-host infection networks. Then, we will decipher the co-evolutionary relations of phage genes with no detectable sequence homology, using the novel concept of clusters of orthologous structures (COSs) and reconstructing structural phylogeny. Finally, we will unearth phage-phage interaction and co-infection strategies in high resolution by taking advantage of cultured model systems containing multiple phages co-infecting a single bacterial host population. To achieve these objectives, we will combine integrated omics methods (metaHiC proximity ligation, long-read metagenomic sequencing, and single-cell amplified genomics), COSs and structural phylogeny with high-resolution experimental confirmation of co-infection strategies. With its ground-breaking approach, MULTIPHAGE will transform our view of phage-host co-evolution by uncovering how phage co-infection and broad host range modulate the complexity of the infection network, clarifying its enigmatic co-evolutionary dynamics.
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Duración del proyecto: 64 meses
Fecha Inicio: 2023-08-31
Fecha Fin: 2028-12-31
Fecha Fin: 2028-12-31
Línea de financiación: concedida
El organismo HORIZON EUROPE notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2023-08-31
Línea de financiación objetivo
El proyecto se financió a través de la siguiente ayuda:
ERC-2023-STG:
ERC STARTING GRANTS
Cerrada
hace 2 años
Presupuesto
El presupuesto total del proyecto asciende a
1M€
Líder del proyecto
SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET
No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5