B2
Microbiota-host interactions at the base of the metazoan tree
This project addresses in a comparative approach the presence, establishment and functional consequences of microbiota in two basal metazoan animals, the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi (Ctenophora) and the cnidarian Aurelia aurita. Both occur in the same ocean habitat, and share the same food, facilitating an inter-phylum comparison by controlling for environment and bacterial colonizer pool.
The project aims to compare the role of environment, external disturbance and challenge by opportunistic pathogens for the specificity and functioning of associated microbiota. First, we will analyze and evaluate the relative effects of environment versus host genotypes on the establishment and the composition of the respective microbiota. Second, we will evaluate the role of the microbiota for host fitness correlated functions including successful invasion (Mnemiopsis) and life cycle decisions (Aurelia and Mnemiopsis). To this end, animals will be made germ-free, and experimentally controlled recolonization with defined microbial communities compared to controls will allow us to evaluate diverse fitness-correlated effects in the laboratory. A third key objective is to study the ways of inter-kingdom communication in establishing a specific microbiota in both hosts, including host immunity and bacterial communication. In particular, we address mechanisms of signal exchange between host and microbiota, including quorum quenching strategies (interference with bacterial cell-cell communication). Finally, we will assess how associated microbiota is involved in host defense targeting opportunistic pathogens.
The proposed comparative approach will allow insights into general and specific hostmicrobe interactions and (fitness-correlated) functions of the associated microbiota. Depending on the host gene and receptor repertoire we expect different mechanisms and end-points of host-microbe interaction among both phyla. The project will contribute to the CRC by broadening the comparative approach at the base of the metazoan tree, allowing deep evolutionary insight into ancient hostmicrobial interactions.
Researchers
Prof. Dr. Ruth Anne Schmitz-Streit
Alumni
Publications
2020
Cultivable microbiota associated with Aurelia aurita and Mnemiopsis leidyi
Weiland-Bräuer N, Prasse D, Brauer A, Jaspers C, Reusch TBH, Schmitz RA (2020) MicrobiologyOpen, accepted
Differences in the microbiota of native and non-indigenous gelatinous zooplankton organisms in a low saline environment
Jaspers C, Weiland-Bräuer N, Rühlemann MC, Baines JF, Schmitz RA, Reusch TBH (2020) Science of the Total Environment, accepted
2019
FeaturedAdvancing our functional understanding of host–microbiota interactions: a need for new types of studies
He J, Lange J, Marinos G, Bathia J, Harris D, Soluch R, Vaibhvi V, Deines P, Hassani MA, Wagner K-S, Zapien‐Campos R, Jaspers C, Sommer F (2019) BioEssays, 1900211 (1-5). doi: 10.1002/bies.201900211
Host-microbe interactions in the chemosynthetic Riftia pachyptila symbiosis
, , , , , , , , , , doi: 10.1128/mBio.02243-19
FeaturedComparative analysis of amplicon and metagenomic sequencing methods reveals key features in the evolution of animal metaorganisms
Rausch P, Rühlemann M, Hermes BM, Doms S, Dagan T, Dierking K, Domin H, Fraune S, von Frieling J, Hentschel U, Heinsen F-A, Höppner M, Jahn MT, Jaspers C, Kissoyan KAB, Langfeldt D, Rehman A, Reusch TBH, Roeder T, Schmitz RA, Schulenburg H, Soluch R, Sommer F, Stukenbrock E, Weiland-Bräuer N, Rosenstiel P, Franke A, Bosch T, Baines JF (2019) Microbiome, doi: 10.1186/s40168-019-0743-1
FeaturedNeutrality in the metaorganism
Sieber M, Pita L, Weiland-Bräuer N, Dirksen P, Wang J, Mortzfeld B, Franzenburg S, Schmitz RA, Baines JF, Fraune S, Hentschel U, Schulenburg H, Bosch TCG, Traulsen A (2019) PLoS Biol., DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000298
Evaluating the quorum quenching potential of bacteria associated to Aurelia aurita and Mnemiopsis leidyi
Prasse D, Weiland-Bräuer N, Jaspers C, Reusch TBH , Schmitz RA (2019) bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/602268
Microbiota differences of the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi in native and invasive sub-populations
Jaspers C, Weiland-Bräuer N, Fischer M, Künzel S, Schmitz RA, Reusch TBH (2019) bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/601419
Resolving structure and function of metaorganisms through a holistic framework 2 combining reductionist and integrative approaches
Jaspers C, Fraune S, Consortium of Australian Academy of Science Boden Research Conference Participants, Arnold AE, Miller DJ, Bosch TCG, Voolstra CR (2019) Zoology. doi: 10.1016/j.zool.2019.02.007
Potential role of host-derived quorum quenching in modulating bacterial colonization in the moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita
Weiland-Bräuer N, Pinnow N, Fischer MA, Schmitz RA (2019) Scientific Reports, 9(1), 34. DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-37321-z
2018
Functions of the Microbiota for the Physiology of Animal Metaorganisms
Esser D, · Lange J, · Marinos G, · Sieber M, Best L, Prasse D, Bathia J, Rühlemann MC, Boersch K, Jaspers C, Sommer F (2018) J Innate Immun DOI: 10.1159/000495115
Metaorganisms in extreme environments: do microbes play a role in organismal adaptation?
Bang C, Dagan T, Deines P, Dubilier N, Duschl W J, Fraune S, Hentschel U, Hirt H, Hülter N, Lachnit T, Picazo D, Galan P L, Pogoreutz C, Rädecker N, Saad M M, Schmitz R A, Schulenburg H, Voolstra C R, Weiland-Bräuer N, Ziegler M, Bosch T C G (2018); Zoology, doi: 10.1016/j.zool.2018.02.004
2017
Microbial contributions to the persistence of coral reefs.
Webster N S, Reusch T B H (2017); ISME J., doi: 10.1038/ismej.2017.66
2016
Combination of Bottom-up 2D-LC-MS and Semi-top-down GelFree-LC-MS Enhances Coverage of Proteome and Low Molecular Weight Short Open Reading Frame Encoded Peptides of the Archaeon Methanosarcina mazei.
Cassidy L, Prasse D, Linke D, Schmitz R A, Tholey A (2016)
J Proteome Res., 15(10):3773-3783. doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.6b00569