The evolutionary transition from minimal cells to organelles

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This research project aims to study the evolutionary transition from the simplest self-replicating bacteria to highly host-dependent symbiotic bacteria, along the path of free-living bacteria to eventually organelles. To better understand how free-living bacteria become host-dependent, the research focuses on comparative genomics on the details what kind of genes are lost or acquired. Multi-omics and microscopic approaches are combined to reveal a functional comparison of two distinct bacteria.Detailed gene comparisons are currently performed on simplest self-replicating Mycoplasma spp. and highly host-dependent insect symbiotic bacteria Tremblaya using several different bioinformatics tools.Multiple different electron microscopy methods are applied and tested to reveal ultrastructural morphological differences on these two distinct bacteria in their host cell systems. Metabolomics as functional comparisons are currently in progress as collaborative project with several different research departments at the University of Melbourne.New genomic project relates to the proposal has been started as there is new interesting Spiroplasma species, same genus as Mycoplasma spp., found in the coral host. This new project has potential to answer the evolutional transition of free-living to symbiotic bacteria.