SyProDeSy - Synergy of Prokaryotic Defence Systems

细菌和古菌进化出不同的免疫机制来对抗细菌病毒(噬菌体)。在过去的几年里，已经发现了数十种新的原核防御系统，然而，目前还不清楚这些防御系统是否以及如何相互作用，以及哪些组合是面对噬菌体感染最有效的组合。我假设，在同一基因组中共存的原核防御系统可以在抗噬菌体免疫中协同作用。在这个项目中，我将(I)寻找倾向于在铜绿假单胞菌基因组中共存的防御系统，(Ii)测试共生防御系统的协同作用，(Iii)确定在什么条件下拥有多种防御系统是有利的。这项多学科的研究将结合生物信息学、微生物学和实验进化方法，这将完美地补充我在生物化学和分子生物学方面的背景。该项目将为未来协同原核生物防御的研究开辟一条新的途径，并有望在生物医学、生物技术和工业领域产生重大影响。这项奖学金将是我职业生涯的关键，并将使我成为分子微生物学领域的一名有竞争力的独立研究员。我将加入埃克塞特大学环境与可持续发展研究所的一个小组，该研究所是生态和进化微生物学领域的世界领先研究中心。环境与可持续发展研究所为研究、学术培训和职业发展提供了绝佳的机会。我将融入主持人的大型合作网络，这将极大地扩展我自己的网络，带来关键的专业知识来提供对我的研究的反馈，以及许多跨学科合作的新机会。我将在主要国际会议上介绍拟议项目的成果，并将推出一个教育网站，将研究成果翻译给广大公众。

Bacteria and archaea evolved diverse immune mechanisms to fight bacterial viruses (phages). Dozens of novel prokaryotic defence systems have been discovered in the past few years, however, it is unclear if and how these defences interact, and which combinations are the most effective ones in the face of phage infections. I hypothesise that prokaryotic defence systems that cooccur in the same genome can cooperate in anti-phage immunity. In this project I will (i) search for defence systems that tend to cooccur in Pseudomonas aeruginosa genomes, (ii) test the synergistic action of the co-occurring defences, (iii) identify in what conditions the possession of multiple defence systems is advantageous. This multidisciplinary research will combine bioinformatic, microbiology and experimental evolution approaches, which will perfectly complement my background in biochemistry and molecular biology. The project will open a novel avenue for future research of synergistic prokaryotic defences and is expected to generate significant impact in biomedicine, biotechnology and industry. The Fellowship will be pivotal for my career and will make me a competitive independent researcher in the field of molecular microbiology. I will join a group in the Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter, a world-leading research centre in the field of ecological and evolutionarymicrobiology. The Environment and Sustainability Institute provides outstanding opportunities for research, academic training, and career development. I will be embedded in the large collaborative network of the host, which will vastly expand my own network, bring critical expertise to provide feedback on my research, and many new opportunities for collaborations across disciplines. I will present the results of the proposed project at major international conferences and will launch an educational website to translate the research outcomes for the broad public.