SPP 2330: New concepts in prokaryotic virus-host interactions - from single cells to microbial communities

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In the frame of this priority programme (SPP 2330) approximately 25 groups will unite to build an interdisciplinary consortium focusing on virus-host interaction in prokaryotes. In recent years, revolutionary discoveries on the biology of prokaryotic viruses were made, including the finding that viruses can use small molecules to make group-level decisions, the discovery of intracellular molecular complexes made by viruses that blur the boundary between prokaryotic and eukaryotic life, and the multitude of novel anti-viral immune systems acting at the unicellular and multicellular level. These ground breaking recent discoveries have now sparked an enormous research interest in phage biology. With this SPP, we will bring together an interdisciplinary consortium on phage research, combining molecular microbiology, bioinformatics, mathematical modelling, imaging techniques, structural biology, and biochemistry to form a German excellence group that will spearhead this emerging topic in an internationally competitive manner.The newly established SPP focuses on three scales of complexity of viral organization: viral cell biology, new unicellular and multicellular anti-viral defense strategies, and viral impact on multispecies microbial communities. The fundamental goals of this consortium are the understanding of new mechanisms in prokaryotic virus-host interactions at the molecular level as well as in the context of microbial communities. This will allow us to address the impact of different viral life styles on the evolution of anti-viral strategies and ultimately will shed light on the evolutionary arms race at the community level. Together, the concerted effort of this consortium will lead the field to uncover new concepts for these rapidly emerging topics and will open up new horizons in biology, with high potentials for applications in molecular biology, phage therapy, food processing, and agriculture.The success of a priority program fundamentally depends on the establishment of the right framework conditions. Therefore, we apply for funding for the organization of annual meetings as well as an international conference (3rd year), funding for the organization of workshops, student exchanges, start-up funding for postdocs, gender equality measures and a public outreach module. The coordination funds will be managed by the coordinator, the coordination committee, and a gender equality board - all supported by the coordination assistant of the SPP.