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Prof Andrew Preston, Prof Edward Feil
Applications accepted all year round
Self-Funded PhD Students Only
About the Project
This project is supervised by Dr Andrew Preston (project supervisor), Prof. Ed Feil (secondary supervisor) and Prof. Julian Parkhill and Dr Simon Harris, Sanger INstitute, Hixton, Cambridge (collaborating academics).
Project description
The genus Bordetella currently comprises nine species, including several that are the causative agents of the important disease, whooping cough. Previously, we and others have generated genome sequences for five Bordetella species and used this information to establish the evolutionary histories of the main whooping cough agents, B. pertussis and B. parapertussis. We have now generated genome sequences for the remaining Bordetella species and thus stand at the point where the evolutionary relationships within the entire genus can be studies.
This project will analyse these relationships and make predictions about particular aspects of the biology of these species, with particular reference to their infection biologies. The project will combine bioinformatics approaches with experimental laboratory in which genomics informs the study of infection and immunity.
Project description
The genus Bordetella currently comprises nine species, including several that are the causative agents of the important disease, whooping cough. Previously, we and others have generated genome sequences for five Bordetella species and used this information to establish the evolutionary histories of the main whooping cough agents, B. pertussis and B. parapertussis. We have now generated genome sequences for the remaining Bordetella species and thus stand at the point where the evolutionary relationships within the entire genus can be studies.
This project will analyse these relationships and make predictions about particular aspects of the biology of these species, with particular reference to their infection biologies. The project will combine bioinformatics approaches with experimental laboratory in which genomics informs the study of infection and immunity.
Funding Notes
**We welcome year-round applications from self-funded students and applicants seeking their own funding**
There may be some highly-competitive tuition fee waiver scholarships available for excellent candidates, but these are very limited and will only cover a portion of the tuition fees. The successful candidates would need to demonstrate that they can cover their own living costs through the whole duration of their studies.
For more information about available PhD projects in the department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Bath, please see: http://www.bath.ac.uk/bio-sci/postgraduate/phd-projects/
There may be some highly-competitive tuition fee waiver scholarships available for excellent candidates, but these are very limited and will only cover a portion of the tuition fees. The successful candidates would need to demonstrate that they can cover their own living costs through the whole duration of their studies.
For more information about available PhD projects in the department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Bath, please see: http://www.bath.ac.uk/bio-sci/postgraduate/phd-projects/
References
Selected references.
1. Gross R, Guzman CA, Sebaihia M, et al. 2008. The missing link: Bordetella petrii is endowed with both the metabolic versatility of environmental bacteria and virulence traits of pathogenic Bordetellae. BMC Genomics. 9: 449.
2. Sebaihia M, Preston A, Maskell DJ, et al. 2006. Comparison of the genome sequence of the poultry pathogen Bordetella avium with those of B. bronchiseptica, B. pertussis, and B. parapertussis reveals extensive diversity in surface structures associated with host interaction. .J Bacteriol. 188:6002-15.
3. Parkhill J, Sebaihia M, Preston A, et al. 2003. Comparative analysis of the genome sequences of Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica. Nature Gen. 35:32-40.
1. Gross R, Guzman CA, Sebaihia M, et al. 2008. The missing link: Bordetella petrii is endowed with both the metabolic versatility of environmental bacteria and virulence traits of pathogenic Bordetellae. BMC Genomics. 9: 449.
2. Sebaihia M, Preston A, Maskell DJ, et al. 2006. Comparison of the genome sequence of the poultry pathogen Bordetella avium with those of B. bronchiseptica, B. pertussis, and B. parapertussis reveals extensive diversity in surface structures associated with host interaction. .J Bacteriol. 188:6002-15.
3. Parkhill J, Sebaihia M, Preston A, et al. 2003. Comparative analysis of the genome sequences of Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica. Nature Gen. 35:32-40.
