Overview
Title: Evolution of Antimicrobial Compounds
Abstract:
Many clinically-relevant antimicrobial compounds were originally isolated from microbes, or are modification of microbial products. Most of these antimicrobials come from a select few microbial taxa, such as Streptomyces or Penicillium. However, when looking more broadly, the microbial world is full of antimicrobial producing organisms, with lethal interactions mediated by highly diverse compounds. We apply experiments, bioinformatics, and theory to understand how evolution shapes lethal microbial interactions mediated by antimicrobial compounds across scales of biology, including molecular interactions, community-level impacts, and over evolutionary timescales. This talk will focus on past work on the evolution of spectrum of activity in antimicrobial compounds, how horizontal-gene transfer influences antimicrobial-mediated interactions, as well as ongoing work focused on the evolution of antimicrobial efficacy and the evolution of phage host range.
About the NITMB Seminar Series:
The NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology Seminar Series brings together a mix of mathematicians and biologists to foster discussion and collaboration between the two fields. The seminar series typically takes place on Fridays from 10am – 11am at NITMB. Talks are in-person with the ability to join remotely. Learn more at https://www.nitmb.org/nitmb-seminar-series
Join Webinar – https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/95512946631