Mechanisms of host resistance and viral tolerance in bats, linking phenotype to genotype

• Applicant: Elinor Jax, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Animal Physiology and Biochemistry ; Evolution, Anthropology ; Immunology
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 438001934

Emerging infectious diseases with origin in animals have major impact on human health and economy. Ebolaviruses and henipaviruses are bat borne viral pathogens that have recently crossed the species barrier to infect domestic animals and humans. Fruit bats (Pteropodidae) are the assumed primary reservoir of ebolaviruses and henipaviruses. However, the immune mechanisms that enable fruit bats to co-exist with these deadly viruses are poorly understood. In this study I will investigate the genetic underpinnings of viral tolerance in bat species that differ in their susceptibility to ebolaviruses and henipaviruses. For this purpose I will use experimental data from my host institution and state-of-the-art bioinformatics to complete three objectives: 1) compare the antiviral response to immune challenge with Ebola virus and Nipah virus vaccines in two species of African fruit bats that differ in their roles as reservoirs of these bat-borne viruses, 2) look for signatures of adaptation in the filovirus receptor NCP1 and other related antiviral genes in fruit bats that differ in their susceptibility to ebolaviruses, 3) assess co-evolutionary history between bats and emerging henipaviruses by combining henipavirus infection data from wild bats with host genomic data. The outcomes of this study will directly contribute to our understanding of host resistance and viral tolerance, and thereby provide a basis for medical and pharmaceutical applications.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: United Kingdom
• Host: Privatdozent Dr. Olivier Restif