The overarching goal of our research is to define the regulatory principles underlying associations of microbial communities with hosts from diverse taxonomic groups.
Novel insights into above topics have already been obtained by the members of the CRC 1182. Our consortium is thus in an ideal position to join forces to deepen our understanding of the metaorganism and validate our findings across the different model systems. In summary, the CRC 1182 “Origin and Function of Metaorganisms” will focus on a research field of high current interest, namely the evolutionary dynamics within metaorganisms and the molecular interactions involved.
To achieve such an integrated view on the metaorganism, our consortium will focus on three main themes:
Host-microbe cross talk in three marine taxa (Porifera, Cnidaria and teleost fish)
Project B1 (PIs Hentschel, Fraune, Roth) uses cross-host comparisons to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the host differentiation between – and response to – native and nonnative microbes in marine metazoans. The …
Microbiota-host interactions at the base of the metazoan tree
Project B2 (PI Schmitz-Streit) will study host-microbe interactions during early developmental stages, focusing on the jellyfish system Aurelia aurita. The project aims to identify the members in the jellyfish microbiome whose presence is crucial for …
Microbial interactions within the metaorganism: mechanisms of bacterial niche specialization and warfare in symbiosis
Project B4 (PIs Dagan, Unterweger) aims to investigate the mechanisms of bacterial niche specialization, focusing on interactions with the host and competitive interactions within the host-associated microbiome. This includes identifying the currencies at the origin …