Like other organisms, bacteria are exposed to viral infection. Bacterial viruses, called phages, are the most abundant biological entities on our planet: they kill a third of marine bacteria daily and are key components of the human microbiome. Facing viral threat, bacteria evolved defense systems that form natural barriers to phage infection, together defining bacterial immunity. At CIRI, we investigate how these enigmatic defense systems operate and how they can help us decode the immune system of other living organisms. We also explore how phages fight back and escape bacterial immunity through the action of small proteins.
Our lab combines bioinformatics, high-throughput genetics and biochemistry to explores the molecular basis and the evolution of phage-bacteria interactions.
Our funding
Contact: François Rousset - francois.rousset@inserm.fr
Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie (CIRI)
Rosalind Franklin building
50 avenue Tony Garnier
69003 Lyon, France