Project

Segmented filamentous bacterium (SFB) is a ubiquitous gut commensal with an unusual life-cycle and a crucial role in the post-natal maturation of the host immune system. Unlike most other commensals, SFB lives at the intestinal surface where it intimately interacts with the host epithelium and grows out into long filaments that divide and differentiate to form new infectious particles. SFB is a Clostridium-related anaerobe that is difficult to grow outside of its host and cannot yet be genetically modified. To identify SFB factors involved in its niche adaptation, we aim to use a random mutagenesis strategy combined with whole genome sequencing (WGS).