ibiology | Advances in rRNA sequencing and other techniques have allowed
scientists to characterize novel symbiotic partnerships. In her first
lecture, Dr. Margaret McFall-Ngai provides an overview of the three main
types of symbiosis: mutualism (both partners benefit), commensalism
(only one partner benefits), and parasitism (one partner benefits, but
the other partner is harmed). McFall-Ngai’s research is currently
focused on understanding the establishment and maintenance of symbiotic
relationships, and the molecular effects that these relationships have
on development, health, and disease.
In her second talk, McFall-Ngai tells the story of a symbiosis between the Hawaiian bobtail squid and Vibrio fischeri (V. fischeri),
a type of luminescent bacteria that enables the squid to hunt at night.
McFall-Ngai and collaborators have identified the molecular mechanism
by which nascent Hawaiian bobtail squid select V. fischeri from
the thousands of other bacteria in their habitat. V. fischeri induces
developmental changes in the squid that drive daily rhythms of gene
expression, which are necessary to control bacterial growth, a crucial
cycle in this symbiotic partnership.
