Lectures and seminars Seminar: “Systematic annotation of hypervariable regions in phage genomes: from in silico exploration to experimental discovery of new antiviral defense systems"

Title

“Systematic annotation of hypervariable regions in phage genomes: from in silico exploration to experimental discovery of new antiviral defense systems"

Bacterial and bacteriophage genomes contain regions of hyper-variability (diversity hotspots) caused by insertions of mobile genetic elements (MGEs), non-homologous recombination events, and non-horizontal hypermutation. Accessory genes in these hotspots are involved in anti-MGE defense and counter-defense, virulence, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), thus playing key roles in interactions among phages, MGEs, bacteria, and eukaryotic hosts.

To date, most research has focused either on individual hotspots or on limited sets of hotspots in a small number of genomes, typically from a single species. A global understanding of hotspot diversity and dynamics is still lacking. In close collaboration with the bioinformatics lab led by Gemma Atkinson, we developed iLund4u, an algorithm for the systematic annotation of hotspots (art-egorov.github.io/ilund4u). Using this tool, we analyzed hotspots in 873K phage genomes and 696K plasmid sequences, and we prioritized, validated, and characterized numerous candidate defense systems.

Speaker

Professor Vasili Hauryliuk, Research team manager, Senior lecturer, Molecular Enzymology, Lund University 

Host

Joanna Rorbach, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet