Molecular interactions between parasites and microbes in the intestine

哺乳动物的肠道是数万亿细菌的家园，也可能被寄生虫等寄生虫侵占。尽管细菌和寄生虫属于不同的生命王国，但它们在肠道中面临着相似的挑战。两者都必须争夺有限的营养和空间资源，都需要躲避宿主免疫系统的驱逐。最近的证据表明，细菌和寄生虫可以相互影响对方在肠道中的存在。我们的研究集中在了解寄生蠕虫和肠道细菌微生物之间的相互作用机制。*我们的工作将具有广泛的影响和重要性。首先，它对畜牧业很重要。来自动物模型的证据表明，被蠕虫定植的动物被致病细菌感染的风险增加。鉴于畜牧业对寄生虫的抗药性正在增加，了解蠕虫如何促进病原菌的定植是至关重要的，以便能够设计干预措施以防止细菌感染。其次，了解寄生蠕虫和细菌之间如何发生跨王国相互作用将影响共同进化、微生物学、免疫学和寄生虫学的研究。*很明显，蠕虫的存在促进了选定的细菌物种在哺乳动物肠道中持续存在的能力。然而，人们对这种情况发生的机制知之甚少。我和其他人的研究表明，寄生虫会改变肠道新陈代谢过程中释放的产物(代谢物)的可用性。我们的工作旨在确切地了解蠕虫是如何改变肠道代谢环境的，以及这些代谢物的变化如何作用于某些细菌，以促进它们在肠道中定居的能力。我们将研究小鼠体内蠕虫和细菌之间的相互作用，因为在这个模型系统中，肠道中的寄生虫和微生物种群都可以很容易地操纵和跟踪。我们希望确定由于寄生虫的存在而改变的代谢物的类型，暴露在这些代谢物中如何改变细菌的基因表达，细菌基因表达的改变如何影响细菌在肠道中的生存能力，以及哪些细菌类型会受到蠕虫的存在的影响。*开展这项研究需要几个研究学科的方法，包括微生物学、寄生虫学和生物化学。因此，完成这项研究的学员将在学术和生物技术环境中都需要的一系列技术方面拥有高度熟练的技能，包括细胞培养、代谢物鉴定、老鼠饲养和实验使用，以及批判性思维、写作和项目管理技能，这将为他们未来富有成效的职业生涯做好准备。

The intestinal tract of mammals is home to trillions of bacterial microbes, and can also be colonised by parasites, such as worms. Despite belonging to different kingdoms of life, bacteria and parasitic worms face similar challenges in the intestine. Both must compete for limited nutritional and spatial resources, and both need to evade expulsion by the host immune system. Recent evidence reveals that bacteria and parasitic worms can influence each other's presence in the intestines. Our research is centred on understanding the mechanisms of interaction between parasitic worms and bacterial microbes in the intestinal tract.*** Our work will have a broad impact and importance. Firstly, it is of importance to the livestock industry. Evidence from animal models suggests that animals that are colonised by worms are at increased risk of infection by pathogenic bacteria. Given that the resistance to drugs against parasitic worms is increasing in the livestock industry, it is critical to understand how worms promote colonisation by pathogenic bacteria, so that interventions can be designed to protect against bacterial infection. Secondly, understanding how cross-kingdom interactions between parasitic worms and bacteria occur will influence research on co-evolution, microbiology, immunology and parasitology.*** It is clear that the presence of worms promotes the ability of select bacterial species to persist in the mammalian intestinal tract. However, little is understood of the mechanisms by which this occurs. Work from myself and others has shown that parasitic worms alter the availability of products released during metabolism (metabolites) in the intestines. Our work aims to understand exactly how worms alter the intestinal metabolic environment, and how these changes in metabolites act on certain bacteria to promote their ability to colonise the intestines. We will examine interactions between worms and bacteria in mice, as in this model system both parasite and microbe populations in the intestine can be readily manipulated and tracked. We expect to identify the types of metabolites that are altered by the presence of parasitic worms, how exposure to these metabolites alters bacterial gene expression, how alterations in bacterial gene expression affect the ability of bacteria to survive in the intestine, and the types of bacteria that are affected by the presence of worms.*** Undertaking this research will require methods from several research disciplines, including microbiology, parasitology and biochemistry. Trainees completing this research will therefore be highly skilled in a breath of techniques that are in demand in both academic and biotech settings, including cell culture, metabolite identification, mouse husbandry and experimental use, as well as critical thinking, writing, and project management skills, which will prepare them well for productive future careers.