EASTBIO: Harnessing the human gut microbiota for mycotoxin detoxification

This fully funded, 4-year PhD project is part of a competition funded by the BBSRC EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership

Mycotoxins are fungal metabolites that contaminate food and feed products. They pose a serious health risk to humans and animals and lead to economic losses. Fungi belonging to the genus Fusarium frequently infect grains and trichothecene mycotoxins and their glycosylated plant-metabolites can be detected in cereals and cereal products. These masked mycotoxins are not bioavailable in the upper gut, but the toxic free form can be liberated by the human gut microbiota. Further work is required to better understand microbial liberation of masked mycotoxins. The liberated mycotoxins may be further transformed by microbes, but this varies between people. For example, trichothecene mycotoxins carry an epoxide group that is crucial for their toxicity, but deepoxylation activity is rarely detected in human faecal samples.

In this project we will characterise microbial trichothecene mycotoxin metabolism. The first objective is to carry out an in-depth characterisation of microbes that deglycosylate masked mycotoxins. We will perform in silico analyses of genomes to identify candidate glycosidases from strains previously shown to de-glycosylate mycotoxins. Bacteria will be selected from our strain collections of gut and soil microbes based on genomics and existing data, and their deglycosylation kinetics characterised. We will also investigate how the presence of additional growth substrates affects mycotoxin deglycosylation activity and gene expression. The most promising glycosidase genes will be cloned and overexpressed for biochemical characterisation.

The second objective encompasses identification of microbes that can further degrade free trichothecene mycotoxins. We will mine microbial genome and metagenome databases for candidate genes and assess selected gut and soil isolates for mycotoxin conversion. Furthermore, human faecal and soil samples will be screened for the activities and microbes enriched and isolated from positive samples.

The student will be trained in a wide range of techniques, encompassing bioinformatics, strictly anaerobic microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry and analytical techniques and will benefit from being part of the vibrant research environment of the Gut Health Group at the Rowett Institute and the Microbial Ecology and Evolution group at the School of Biological Sciences. The student will also participate in knowledge exchange activities and international scientific conferences. The work will form the basis for the development of microbial products that can aid tackling the problem of mycotoxin contamination of foods. They can be applied to the decontamination of food products (for example in fermented food products) or can be developed as probiotics to detoxify mycotoxins reaching the large intestine.

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ELIGIBILITY:

Applicants should hold a minimum of a 2:1 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject. Those with a 2:2 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) may be considered, provided they have (or are expected to achieve) a Distinction or Commendation at master’s level.

All students must meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in the UKRI guidance on funding for postgraduate training and development. This guidance should be read in conjunction with the UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions.

This project is available to undertake part-time if preferred.

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APPLICATION PROCEUDRE:

• Please visit this page for full application information: How to apply | eastbio (eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk)
• Please send your completed EASTBIO application form, along with academic transcripts to Alison Innes at [Email Address Removed]
• Two references should be provided by the deadline using the EASTBIO reference form. References should be sent to [Email Address Removed]
• Unfortunately, due to workload constraints, we cannot consider incomplete applications.
• CV's submitted directly through a FindAPhD enquiry WILL NOT be considered.
• If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at [Email Address Removed]