We would like to invite you to the regular IMIC seminar, the talk will be given by

Veronika K. Pettersen

Topic: Host Microbiome Interactions in Early Life: Focus on Gut Fungi

The seminar will be held on friday 23.6.2023 at 11 am at the lecture hall of the Institute of Physiology (kinosál).

If you can´t come, the link for the online seminar is here:

access via zoom

Abstract:

Intestinal fungi are a fundamental component of the gut microbiome and play important roles in mammalian host biology. At the same time, the contribution of gut fungi to host health and disease remains understudied due to their low abundance. In that respect, gnotobiotic animals with defined microbial populations of reduced complexity are a well-suited model to study low abundant gut fungal species. Moreover, from the different omics approaches, metaproteomics are uniquely positioned to describe the effects of gut fungi in gnotobiotic mice by simultaneously detecting host and microbial proteins.
In our recent study, we described functional changes attributed to fungal colonisation by label-free quantitative metaproteomics of faecal samples from gnotobiotic mice colonised with defined consortia of twelve bacterial species, five fungal species, or both. We also evaluated the effect of microbiome perturbances on the metaproteome by analysing faeces from mouse pups treated with an antibiotic or antifungal.
The antimicrobial treatments resulted in lasting changes in the bacterial and fungal proteomes, suggesting that the antimicrobials impact the entire gut microbial community. In addition, fungal colonisation resulted in changes in host proteins functional in innate immunity and metabolism, predicting specific roles of gut fungi on host systems during early developmental stages. Altogether, our results suggest that an increased abundance of certain gut fungal species in early life affects the developing intracellular attributes of epithelial and immune cells.

Veronika Kuchařová Pettersen is an accomplished Associate Professor at Host-Microbe Interaction Research Group (Medical Biology Dept.), Paediatric Research Group (Clinical Medicine Dept.), and Centre for New Antibacterial Strategies, UiT The Arctic University of Norway. She is microbiologist specializing in the biochemistry of the gut microbiome. Her research focuses on understanding the metabolite and protein signatures of the gut microbiome and its role in colonization resistance against pathogens, cancer development, and infancy formation. With extensive international experience, including a visiting research position at the University of Calgary in Canada, Veronika brings a global perspective to her work.
Veronika’s current project involves developing gut microbiome-based biomarkers to prevent infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in infancy. Her research holds significant promise for addressing this pressing global health concern. With a PhD in Biotechnology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Veronika combines interdisciplinary expertise with a deep understanding of host-microbe interactions. Join us for her scientific talk as she shares her groundbreaking insights into the biochemistry of the gut microbiome and strategies for disease prevention.