Description:

Seminar Title: How Phage Create an Immune System: BAM Immunity & Transcytosis

Speaker: Forest Rohwer, PhD, San Diego State University

Host: Virology Graduate Students and Postdocs / Coordinator, Neil Kuehnle, Graduate Student

Topic:

Viruses, and particularly phage that infect bacteria, are the most abundant and diverse life forms on the planet. Given their success throughout the biosphere, it is expected that phage are essential members of the animal and plant holobionts. We have shown that phage form a bacterial-selective, adaptive immune system that helps protect the mucosal surfaces of animals and establish the microbiome. Additionally, phage are actively transported across epithelial layers and may provide a systemic protection against bacteria. These two findings strongly suggest that phage formed the first acquired immune system and they remain important in extant animals.  

Zoom Meeting Link:

https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/99844977389?pwd=ZWRlY3dnem04ZGxlbmRYL0dFU3hsdz09

Meeting ID: 998 4497 7389
Passcode: 504936