How bacterial defenses affect the spread of 'mobile genetic elements'

 A major new project will study how bacterial defenses affect the spread of DNA fragments called mobile genetic elements (MGEs) between bacteria

MGEs can be transferred from one bacterium to another and can alter key bacterial characteristics, including antibiotic resistance and virulence (the severity of the disease they can cause)

MGEs come in various forms, including bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) and plasmids (circular DNA molecules)

Dr Stineke Van Houte, from the University of Exeter, has been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) start-up fund of €1.

This project is called MUSIC (MGE Uptake and Dissemination in Microbial Communities)

"The MUSIC project aims to understand how the bacterial immune system keeps mge out," said Dr Van Houte, from the Institute for Environment and Sustainability at Penryn Campus, Exeter, Cornwall

It will combine bacterial genome sequence analysis and laboratory experiments to study the relative importance of bacterial defenses in different individuals

"Our goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of which bacterial defenses are particularly important in preventing MGE infection, and this information will allow us to predict whether bacteria will become infected with MGE based solely on the defense systems found in the bacterial genome

"From this point, we will use a machine learning approach to understand how mge is spread across diverse bacterial communities, based on knowledge of what defense mechanisms are present in that community

Dr Van Houte said the project's "blue sky" approach was not looking specifically at human health, but at understanding key processes in bacterial evolution

However, this understanding may be critical to the emerging antibiotic resistance crisis

Dr Van Houte's award is one of 397 start-up grants from the ERC for early career researchers totalling €619 million

The grants are designed to help "ambitious young researchers launch their own projects, form their teams, and pursue their best ideas"

ERC Chair Professor Maria Leptin said: "Enabling young talent to thrive in Europe and pursue their most innovative ideas - this is the best investment in our future, especially with increasing global competition

"We have to believe in young people and their insight into important areas for the future

"So, I'm excited to see these new ERC Launch Prize winners ready to break new ground and build their own teams