Klompe Lab - Phage-Host Interactions
Research
Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) - such as plasmids, transposons, and phages - are key drivers of microbial genome evolution. They introduce genetic variation that may help the host adapt to its surroundings, but also pose a threat to host genome integrity.
Among MGEs, phages (viruses that infect bacteria) are perhaps the most formidable challenge to cellular integrity. As obligate genetic parasites, phages invade bacterial cells and hijack the host’s molecular machinery to reproduce, typically killing the host in the process.
Phages are thought to outnumber bacteria by ten to one, making them not only common but overwhelmingly abundant. Their sheer numbers and lethal nature pose a constant threat to bacterial populations. As a result, a substantial portion of bacterial genomes is dedicated to anti-phage defense systems. Phages, in turn, evolve countermeasures to evade or disable these defenses, fueling an evolutionary arms race that continuously pushes both sides toward molecular ingenuity.
However, while bacteria can acquire new defense systems by taking up extrachromosomal DNA and can stockpile diverse defense systems in regions known as defense islands or defense hotspots - phages face a more stringent size constraint. Since the entire phage genome has to fit within the viral capsid, there is limited room for genomic expansion. With little room to spare, phages have had to evolve elegant strategies to outmaneuver bacterial defenses while maintaining a streamlined genome.
Our research focuses on the unconventional molecular machineries that phages have developed in this race for survival. We seek to understand their molecular biology, investigate the evolutionary forces and environmental niches that shaped them, and harness these hotbeds of innovation to develop new biotechnological tools.
