Postdoc in mechanisms of gut-foetal transmission at Institute of Food, UK-PhD biological subject (e.g. biological science, reproductive biology, immunology, microbiology -Apply

Description & Details: During pregnancy, the maternal environment including the maternal microbiota may have a significant impact on foetal development as well as early and later life health outcomes. However it is currently unclear how microbiota members and/or their products are transmitted to the foetus from the gut to facilitate this very early life development.

Main aim: define the mechanisms of gut-foetal transmission

We will test the hypothesis that specific microbiota members (including Bifidobacterium) can translocate to the developing foetus via specific microbial factors and interact with specific immune cells to facilitate this gut-in utero transfer. As we want to define specific microbe and host mechanisms (which is logistically and ethically very difficult in humans), we will utilise in vivo models (including germ-free studies). Real time, longitudinal imaging in vivo and confocal microscopy will be used to track bacteria and determine what bacterial molecules are critical for the process (including GM bacteria lacking molecules potentially important for the transmission i.e. exopolysaccharides). Initially we will focus on Bifidobacterium (via bioluminescence or fluorescence, utilising the Bruker Xtreme machine). A similar approach will be used to tract host cells to explore this transmission process and we will examine NK cells and DCs, confirming importance of these cells with transgenic animals. Host and immune profiling will be via the flow cytometry facilities within IFR and RNASeq as described below. For comprehensive characterisation and profiling of the microbiota we will employ a variety of NGS methods (DNA and RNA, including 16s, shotgun sequencing and RNASeq for microbiome profiles at different stages of pregnancy [mother and foetus] and also transcriptional responses (microbe and host).

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