Genetics

1. Genetics Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Toxicology

2. People • Professors: • Elisabeth Haggård • Ingrid Faye • Per Palsbøll • Associate Professor (Lektor): • Anders Nilsson • Assistant Professor (FoA): • Mary Hunt • Research Associate: • Martine Bérubé • Post doctoral researcher: • Katharina Slätis • 10 PhD and 3 MSc students

3. Mary Hunt’s group: Endocannabinoids Induce sleep Thermoregulation Pain suppression Appetite control Cannabis Endocannabinoids

4. An example of the newly identified lipid molecules N-arachidonylglycine detected in various organs in the body How are these lipids produced? How are these processes regulated at the genetic level? Signalling pathways regulated by these lipids?

5. Ingrid Faye current projectsInnate immune responses in the malaria mosquito triggered by: • Pattern molecules (PAMPs)/ antigens from the human malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) • Receptors? • Signalling pathways? • Human/vector - common denominators the response? • Bacterial isolates from the midgut of Anopheles mosquitoes to be used in paratransgenics • Field isolate – Thorsellia anophelis • Lab isolate – Elisabethkingia anophelis

6. Paratransgenics - main steps • Screen for gene encoded anti-parasitic peptides/proteins • Isolate midgut bacteria • Test anti-parasitic efficacy of peptides • Characterize bacteria • Genetically label • Re-establish in the gut • Test efficacy of system in vivo • Test in the semi-field conditions

7. Research group & funding • PhD students • Karolina Eriksson-Gonzales • Bo Lindberg • Masters Students • Steven Lewis • Holly Matthews • EU Network • COST Action FA0701 • BioMalPar II • Funding • EU INFRAVEC • ARC

8. Elisabeth Haggård PhD students: Lina Sylwan, Sridhar Mandali, Wilhelmina Sehlén • Project 1. Phage site-specific integrases (Int) and their evolution as tools for directed gene insertions into unmodified eukaryotic cells. • Structure-function analysis of the integrases of P2-like phages. • Target (attB) requirements. • Efficiency and specificity of insertions in human cells. • Project 2. Molecular characterization of the simple, but efficient, molecular switches in the P2 phage family that controls lytic versus lysogenic growth cycles. • 3-D structure of the two repressors, C and Cox, controlling the switch • (collaboration with T. Massad, K. Scaar, P Stenmark, biochemistry). • Amino acids and nucleotides involved in repressor specificity • Fluctuation analysis of the switch in the lysogenic state. C Pe Lytic Phage C cox Lysogenic Pc Target Cox -

9. Anders Nilsson, GMT Evolution of P2-like phages Phage therapy • Phylogenetic relationships between single genes, as well as groups of genes, from different taxa reveal significant patterns in phage genome evolution and phage - host coevolution. • Phylogenies of P2-like phage genes, and gene clusters, in γ-proteobacteria. Differentiation and distribution of P2-like phages in Escherichia and Salmonella strain collections. • ↓ • Are P2-like phage genomes modular? • What is the relative importance of different evolutionary mechanisms e.g. horizontal transfer of genes, recombination etc? • Coevolution and host shifting of P2-like phages - hosts? • Ph D student Hanna Nilsson • Lic thesis (2009): Differentiation and distribution of P2-like phages. • A common antibiotic multiresistant phenotype of bacteria depends on horizontally transferred extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) plasmids. ESBL Klebsiellapneumoniae outbreaks are hazardous and hard to deal with in hospitals. • Isolation of phages that lyseKlebsiellapneumoniae strains. Optimisation of compilations of phages for lysis efficacy on Klebsiellapneumoniae expressing multiresistant ESBL phenotypes. • ↓ • What is the efficacy of single lyticphages on different Klebsiellaisolates (strains, serotypes)? • Is a mix of a few lyticphages a good candidate for phage therapy of ESBL Klebsiellapneumoniae. • M Sc student (60 hp) Harald Eriksson

10. Palsbøll Lab:Genetics in evolution, ecology, and conservation Current funding US NSF US NMFS US MMC NV Norwegian MRI IWC People • Research Associate Martine Bérubé • Ph student MortenTange Olsen • PhD student Jean-Luc Tison • M Sc student Laetitia Schmid

11. Examples of ongoing projects • Climate change The micro-evolutionary effects of annual Polar sea ice dynamics in ringed seal (w Danish EPA and Norwegian Polar Institute) • Community genetics The evolutionary co-dynamics of Polar bears and their prey; ringed and bearded seals (w Norwegian Polar Institute) • Evolutionary/molecular genetics Contradicting signatures of population size changes in mtDNA (w GNI, MICS and CCS) • Conservationgenetics Recent and past changes in abundance, population structure and genetic diversity of large whales in the North Atlantic and Antarctic (w NMFS, MRIs, CCS and MICS, GNI, Oslo U and Cph U) • Population genetics Mate choice and MHC, transmission and fitness consequences of seasonal site fidelity (w NMFS and CCS)

12. Thank You!