Human beings and microbes have a permanent and double-edged relationship. In the intestinal flora they complement each other and in some cases these microorganisms cause infectious diseases in humans.
The history of this interaction will be broken down into two parts:
- One will focus on paleomicrobiology to see how the study of microbial DNA from fossils and the sequencing of ancient pathogens has made it possible to reconstruct and better understand ancient epidemics.
- The other will analyze, on the study of current populations, how man has adapted biologically and genetically to the presence of pathogens.
Paleomicrobiology" component:
The
objective of this project, led by Philippe Biagini (PhD, HDR, DR EFS), is to explore infectious pathologies that may have become established over the centuries in Corsica, such as zoonotic (brucellosis, tuberculosis), endemic (malaria) and epidemic (smallpox) pathologies, as well as chronic infections (leprosy, treponematoses) that may have been transmitted by frequent contact with the rest of the Mediterranean populations. This project is integrated into a more global approach on the health of Corsican populations through time, but whose human-pathogen interactions have been little exploited despite the existence of recent osteoarcheological collections (bones, teeth) available. Thus, paleoepidemiological investigations, via combined approaches in macroscopic paleopathology and paleomicrobiology, coupled with archival research, are likely to provide rich data on island lifestyles and ancient epidemic dynamics. Because of the ancient interactions between islands and nearby continental locations, series from neighboring Mediterranean territories such as Sardinia,
Sicily, continental Italy, or even Provençal France will also be investigated by a similar integrative approach.
Within the unit, this project is based on a strong inter-team collaboration (BONES team) for the last fifteen years with interactions between paleo-pathologists, archaeologists, historians, anthropologists and molecular biologists/microbiologists.
Moreover, this work benefits from external collaborations, notably with the University of Corsica (UMR 6134 SPE and UMR 6240 LISA), the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) and the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) and the Regional Archaeological Service (SRA) of Corsica, with the setting up of a new dedicated laboratory and the transfer of our expertise/supervision within the University of Corsica.
Component "Basis of human genetic adaptation to pathogens": ANR project " PATHO-NAT " genomic approach to dissect Human-pathogen interactions in the Amazonian forestThis
project, led internally by Andrés Ruiz Linares (PhD, MD, PU), in collaboration with Lluis Quintana Murci (Institut Pasteur), is based on the observation that current differences in human populations in immune responses are, at least in part, the product of natural selection by severe pathogens (bacteria, parasites, viruses). Beginning in Africa, these human/pathogen interactions have continued with deadly endemic agents as human populations have expanded throughout the world.
Tropical rainforests are among the most challenging environments for human life, with one of the highest pathogen loads in the world, resulting in both high mortality and biological adaptation. In addition, recent changes in the tropical habitat have also affected epigenetic variation (i.e., DNA methylation) related to immune function. Nevertheless, little is known about the biological mechanisms underlying the observed differences in immune responses in tropical populations. Even more critical is the underrepresentation of Amazonian Amerindian populations in genetic studies of immune response variation. Finally, the Amazon is an ecosystem that may provide new information on mechanisms of adaptation to infectious agents, as some Amazonian groups have recently adopted an urban lifestyle, allowing epigenetic comparison of immune responses between communities in distinct environments.
Thus, the PATHO-NAT project aims to delineate the genetic and epigenetic factors driving immune variation in Amazonian communities across two host-environment interfaces: the rainforest and urban environment. This project will provide new data and insights into two fundamental questions related to host-microbe interactions: how humans have adapted to pathogens over time and what mechanisms have contributed to population differences in immune responses.