Hydra – microbiota interactions

In animals epithelial tissues are colonized by complex communities of microbes. The diversity of microbes colonizing a given host is a result of coevolution between the host and the colonizing microbial community, influenced by both environment and phylogeny. In the Bosch lab we investigate host-microbe interactions and the influence of bacteria on host development in the basal metazoan Hydra. Towards this goal our laboratory focuses on three questions:

(i) Are there identifiable core microbiota associated with a given host species?

(ii) Which influences do associated microbes have on the development of Hydra?

(iii) How is the microbiota selected, and how did they evolve within and between hosts?

 

In order to understand the microbiota living on or in Hydra epithelia and their influences on host immunity and host development, we have pioneered the identification of microbiota in two species of Hydra and shown that microbiota differ significantly between different species indicating distinct selective pressures imposed on the epithelium (Fraune and Bosch, 2007). Current efforts are directed towards uncovering the mechanisms by which the Hydra epithelium actively shapes its microbial community.