Biology Weekly Seminar - Angela Douglas

The multi-organismal animal: insights from Drosophila and its gut microbiota

All animals are colonized by microorganisms that play an important but poorly-understood role in sustaining the health and fitness of their animal host. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and related drosophilid flies offer uniquely tractable systems to study how animals interact with their resident microbiota.

We have demonstrated that the microbiota in drosophilid flies is of low diversity, dominated by readily-culturable bacteria. Experiments using axenic (germ-free) flies and flies bearing specific bacteria have revealed the pervasive effects of the microbiota on nutritional health. Certain bacterial species and bacterial communities promote host growth and development, protect the host against excessive lipid accumulation on high-sugar diets, and provide B vitamins important for host health on low-nutrient diets.

To see a video about her reseach projects click here.