Distribution, molecular evolution and adaptation of bacteria on animal hosts: chlamydiae and mycoplasmas

Novel microbial symbionts belonging to the bacterial order Chlamydiales and Mycoplasmales were recently discovered and described from gastrointestinal tract of terrestrial isopod crustaceans. The preliminary investigations showed a much wider distribution and phylogenetic diversity of these microbes as it was believed till now. A considerable probability exists therefore, that these organisms or their still unknown relatives take part in symbiotic (positive or negative) interactions with other vertebrate or invertebrate hosts. A number of interesting and important questions comes forward in this regard, concerning the actual presence and distribution of these microbes, the nature of their evolution, which may be tightly connected to the evolution of their animal hosts, and least but not last the mutual effects which may manifest in morphological, physiological and/or genetic sense. The purpose of this project is thus to screen a number of potential vertebrate and invertebrate hosts with molecular methods e.g. in situ hybridization employing specific oligonucleotide probes and specific quali or quantitative chain polimerisation method (PCR) in order to see whether sequences from targeted microorganisms can be discovered in animal cells or tissue. The isolation and in vitro cultivation of the targeted microbes from positive hosts is going to be attempted subsequently. If this should prove impossible due to their symbiotic nature (as expected) a combination of molecular genetic, immunological and microscopic methods is going to be applied. We expect to determine successfully the phylogenetic taxonomic affiliation of these organisms, and develop new, more specific and successful molecular and immunological tools for better detection and monitoring of these microbes in their hosts and general environment. The nature of interactions is going to be investigated and the effects on the hosts and symbionts. We expect to discover several novel species, genera and possibly even families of these interesting and important microorganisms, to elucidate various aspects of these symbioses with different hosts and to explore the basics of the interaction in biochemical and genetic terms in model host organisms i.e. terrestrial isopod crustacean Porcellio scaber.