Phylogenetic mixed models and host-parasite interaction: implications of hosts phylogeny on the fitness of the interacting species

• Grant number: 17/11774-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: October 28, 2017
• End date: April 27, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Rodrigo Cogni
• Grantee: Camila Souza Beraldo
• Supervisor: Ben Longdon
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Exeter, Penryn, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 16/09934-4 - Influence of host's evolutionary history on parasite and host fitness: a case study of drosophilids and Drosophila a virus, BP.MS

Abstract

Co-evolution is the evolutionary process that generates phenotypic changes in interacting species. Despite the extensive work on co-evolution in the last decades, we do not have empirical studies showing convincing evidences for co-evolution. Theoretical studies have argued that phenotypic correlation between interacting species is not enough to demonstrate co-evolution. These studies pointed to the need of investigating the mechanisms that generate the reciprocal selection. Some studies investigating the responsible mechanisms for the co-evolutionary process have been done using drosophilids and virus as model organisms. In my master's project, we aim to verify what is the influence of hosts' phylogeny on the fitness of DAV (Drosophila A virus) and DAV-infected hosts. Phylogenetic mixed models is the best way to analyse data across phylogenies because they allow the inclusion of random phylogenetic effects in the model, with the correlation in phylogenetic effects between two host species being inversely proportional to the time since divergence. Furthermore, results obtained from phylogenetic comparative methods are more robust and reliable than other evolutionary models. In this context, the present project proposes the implementation of phylogenetic mixed models for the analysis of DAV-drosophilids data. In addition, we will implement this framework to integrate datasets collected by Dr. Ben Longdon on resistance to four other vi-ruses (Drosophila C virus and three sigma viruses) to our own data on DAV, generating a great opportunity to understand how resistance to different pathogens is correlated. These two approaches will improve my master thesis research and advance the understanding of co-evolutionary mechanisms. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PIMENTEL, ANDRE C.; BERALDO, CAMILA S.; COGNI, RODRIGO. Host-shift as the cause of emerging infectious diseases: Experimental approaches using Drosophila-virus interactions. GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, v. 44, n. 1, 1, 2021. (15/08307-3, 17/11774-8, 16/09934-4, 13/25991-0)

ANDRÉ C. PIMENTEL; CAMILA S. BERALDO; RODRIGO COGNI. Host-shift as the cause of emerging infectious diseases: Experimental approaches using Drosophila-virus interactions. GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, v. 44, n. 1, 2020-11-23. (16/09934-4, 15/08307-3, 17/11774-8, 13/25991-0)