Bachelor and Masters projects Laboratory
Bachelor and Master projects are always available in the lab. The topics are with respect to Drosophila innate immunity, symbiosis or the gut homeostasis (see project described below). The topic of the Master project is always discussed with the student who is encouraged to develop his own ideas. Bachelor and Master projects provide a technical training in genetic, molecular biology, genomic and system genetics.
They all address conceptual questions in their respective fields, and involve work at four levels of integration (whole animal, organs, cells and genes). An asset of the Drosophila model is that it allows acquiring results in a short time frame and the capacity to work independently, providing an excellent training in life science. In addition, Drosophila is a model for insects that have a huge impact of global health (ex. insect vectors of human disease, insect pests of plants, beneficial insects).
There are 2 topics of researches :
Insects possess efficient mechanisms for detecting and neutralizing microbial infection. The use of Drosophila genetics for deciphering these mechanisms has generated insights into insect immunity and uncovered similarities with the mammalian innate immune responses. Our research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of microbial infection and corresponding host defence responses in Drosophila using genetic and genomic approaches. Using the novel CRISPR new technology, we are currently generating many deletions in potential immunity related genes. Students will generate mutations and analyse their function using state-of-the-art genetic tools. The goal is to decipher, step by step, the organization of the Drosophila immune system including recognition, signalling and effectors. This research impacts vertebrate immunology and insect immunology fields.
Virtually every species of insect harbours facultative bacterial endosymbionts (ex. Wolbachia, Buchnera) that are transmitted from females to their offspring. These symbionts play crucial roles in the biology of their hosts. Some manipulate host reproduction in order to spread within host populations. However, in spite of growing interest in endosymbionts, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying most endosymbiont-insect interactions. Our laboratory analyses the interaction between Drosophila and its endosymbiont Spiroplasma poulsonii.Using a broad range of approaches ranging from molecular genetic to genomics to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying key features of the symbiosis, including vertical transmission, male killing, regulation of symbiont growth, and symbiont-mediated protection against pathogens. To date, no molecular mechanisms have been proposed for these processes, with some remaining enigmatic for more than 40 years! Students will use Drosophila genetics to uncover host factors that influence Spiroplasma life. They will try to develop tools to manipulate Spiroplasma and also identify bacterial factors involved in these interactions.
For more details, please contact Bruno Lemaitre