Research
We use an integrative approach to understand how behaviour-manipulating fungal parasites interact with their insect hosts, across levels of biological organisation
Background
Parasitic manipulation of animal behaviour
For millions of years, battles between parasites and their hosts have been taking place, in which each party is trying to get the upper hand. Such prolonged parasite-host co-evolution can result in complex phenotypes. Parasite adaptive manipulation of host behaviour is a widespread example. Here, parasites use intricate strategies to manipulate their hosts’ behaviours such that they benefit parasite transmission. For many manipulative parasite-host interactions, their captivating natural history has been rather well-described. However, it remains a largely unanswered question how exactly manipulating parasites are able to hijack their hosts. Our research aims to bridge this knowledge gap by providing a deeper mechanistic understanding of parasitic behavioural manipulation. We ask how host behaviour changes, which compounds parasites produce that can work as neuromodulators, and how these compounds can affect host pathways such that they result in altered behavioural phenotypes.
Model System: Behaviour-manipulating fungi (BMFs) and their ant hosts
Parasites that modify host behaviour to increase their own reproductive success are often referred to as “zombie-makers”. The so-called “zombie ants” are a widespread, evident example. When infected by fungi that hijack behavioural outputs, these ants start to wander, followed by climbing, and latching themselves to vegetation (via biting) to ease the wind dispersal of infectious spores. Inducing hosts to ascend and bite (i.e., summit behaviour) are common themes among zombie-makers, which suggests that comparable mechanisms might underly these behavioural phenotypes. Understanding this (naturally) corrupted chain of events towards the expression of an altered behavioral phenotype in the lab-amenable zombie ant system offers the chance to better understand how behavioural phenotypes evolve and are expressed. As such, our lab mainly uses fungal insect parasites of the genus Ophiocordyceps to learn how these microbes are able to control animal behaviour. More specifically, we currently focus on Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani, a fungal species from Florida, which infects and manipulates the Florida Carpenter ant (Camponotus floridanus).
Integrative Research Approach
We like to approach our research from both the parasite and the host perspective, to ask questions that range from the gene and molecule level to the level of whole-organism phenotypes, to organismic functioning within an ecosystem. As such, we use an integrative approach in which we combine:
Field surveys and collections
Infection studies
Quantitative behavioural analyses
Genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics tools
Insect and microbial molecular genetics techniques
Ongoing Research Projects
Fungal effectors and their insect host targets
As part of our research approach we generate genomics, trancriptomics and metabolomics data to study the molecular mechanisms that underly Ophiocordyceps manipulation of carpenter ant behaviour. Analysing these datasets, we have generated hypotheses about the fungal secreted proteins that might interact with ant host targets, which give rise to altered behaviours. Many of these candidate fungal effectors currently have unknown functions. We are in the process of investigating these effectors to determine their functions and their potential roles in manipulating host behaviours. In addition, we study the host targets of these effectors to determine their roles in behavioural pathways.
Fungi are famous for producing a wealth of bioactive compounds that can be applied in a variety of industries. Ophiocordyceps and other insect-infecting fungi have been vastly underexplored, thusfar. As such our work might lead to the discovery of novel bioactive compounds that could be useful in agricultural and medical settings.
The role of biological clocks in infection and manipulation
more information coming soon...
Fungal hyperparasites of entomopathogens
More information coming soon...
