CHOICE 1

The general aim of this course is to develop the concepts needed to study symbiotic interactions, whether parasitic or mutualistic. To this end, we will address the specificities and ubiquity of the parasitic way of life in the tree of life. The defense mechanisms of host organisms, the notions of favoritism and manipulation, the consequences of host-symbiont interactions on life-history traits and the influence of these interactions on the diversification of organisms will be addressed.

Practical work will provide an opportunity to explore these concepts in greater depth on some major models of interactions involving symbionts (viruses, bacteria, unicellular and multicellular eukaryotes) and a variety of hosts (unicellular and multicellular).

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This UE consists mainly of theoretical courses dealing with the molecular aspects of infectious diseases (bacteriology, virology, parasitology).

Bacteriology: The nature of infectious agents. Methods for studying pathogenesis (in vivo, in vitro, in silico and post-genomic study technologies) Strategies of pathogenic bacteria to survive in organisms: Bacterial adhesion to eukaryotic cells, antigenic variation and phase variation, invasion of non-phagocytic eukaryotic cells, mechanisms of resistance to phagocytosis, mechanisms of bacterial survival in phagocytic cells, membrane permeability management, bacterial secretion systems (types I, II, III, IV, V and VI), iron acquisition mechanisms, bacterial exotoxins, bacterial biofilms, examples of environmental regulation (thermoregulation, quorum sensing, etc.).).

Parasitology: Organization and cellular physiology of major pathogens in unicellular eukaryotic parasites (invasion and modification of the host cell; metabolic particularities and therapeutic targets); Genetics and molecular biology (genome organization, antigenic variation); Physiopathology and escape from the immune response.

Virology: Molecular mechanisms of the viral cycle; Expression of viral genomes; Transformation by viruses; Viral replication strategy; Plasticity of viral genomes; Structural importance of viruses in host interaction; 

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