Olaya RENDUELES GARCIA - “The bacterial capsule: a virulence factor and a major driver of microbial evolution”

Seminaire Olaya RENDUELES GARCIA
“The bacterial capsule: a virulence factor and a major driver of microbial evolution”
Salle Druet et TEAMS

Extracellular capsules constitute the outermost layer of some bacteria and establish the first contact between the cell and its environment. Capsules are best known for their role in clinical settings, where they increase survival upon phagocytosis. They are thus considered a major virulence factor. However, capsules also play a critical role outside a host because they protect the cells from physical and chemical stresses. For example, they enhance bacterial survival rates in mixed species communities and complex environments by, for instance, protecting bacteria from bacteriocins.
In our lab, we combine experimental and computational approaches to understand how the capsule influences the adaptation of bacteria to diverse environments.
During my talk, I will focus on K. pneumoniae, a gram-negative bacterium belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family and considered an opportunistic pathogen and a major multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterium.
I will specifically address how it drives gene flux by differential interactions with mobile genetic elements such as phages and plasmids and how it affects the evolution of the species.