Dr. Aude Bernheim - Evolution of immunity from E. coli to the elephant: an emerging paradigm of ancestral immunity - IPBS-Toulouse, Seminar Room

Aude Bernheim

Institut Pasteur, Paris

Evolution of immunity from E. coli to the elephant: an emerging paradigm of ancestral immunity

Immune defense mechanisms exist across the tree of life in such a wide diversity that the immune mechanisms of bacteria (antiphage systems) were considered unrelated to immunity of eukaryotes. However, recent discoveries unveiled hundreds of novel antiphage systems. Among this diversity of novel bacterial immune mechanisms, it emerged that a subset of antiphage defense systems is conserved in eukaryotes and are major actors of diverse immune pathways, leading us to revisit this paradigm and propose the concept of ancestral immunity as protein domains used in prokaryotic and eukaryotic immunity. I will discuss the evolutionary dynamics of immunity across domains of life and how existence of ancestral immunity can lead to discoveries in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Selected references

• Conservation of antiviral systems across domains of life reveals immune genes in humans. Cury J.*, Haudiquet M.*, Hernandez-Trejo V., Mordret E*., Hanouna A., Rotival M, Tesson F.,Bonhmme, D. Ofir G., Quintana-Murci L., Benaroch P., Poirier Z. P*., Bernheim A.* Cell Host and Microbes, 10.1016/j.chom.2024.08.002 (2024)
• Viperin immunity evolved across the tree of life through serial innovations on a conserved scaffold. Shomar H*.,Georjon H.*, Feng Y, Olympio B, Cury J, Tesson F., Wu F*., Bernheim A*. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 10.1038/s41559-024-02463-z, https://hal.science/hal-04690206 (2024)
• A human homolog of SIR2 antiphage proteins mediates immunity via the TLR pathway. Bonhomme D*, Vaysset H*, Ednacot E., Rodrigues V., Cury J., Hernandez Trejo V., Benaroch P., Morehouse B, Bernheim A.*, Poirier E.* bioRxiv 10.1101/2024.09.18.613514 (2024)
• A family of lanthipeptides with anti-phage function. Shomar H., Tesson F., Guillaume M., Ongenae V., Le Bot ., Georjon H., Mordret E., Zhang L., van Wezel G., Rozen D., Briegel A., Zirah S., Claessen D., Li Y., Bernheim A. bioRxiv 10.1101/2024.06.26.600839 (2024)
• The immune modules conserved across the tree of life: Towards a definition of ancestral immunity. Bernheim A.*, Cury J, Poirier Z. E*. Plos Biology, 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002717 (2024) (Essay)
• The highly diverse antiphage defence systems of bacteria. Georjon H, Bernheim A. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 21 (10), 686-700 (2023)

L'organisation de ce séminaire est soutenu par la SFR B2S.