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Katrine Vogt Møller: Characterization of probiotic bacteria that confer protection against a multi resistant bacterium

PhD defense, Tuesday 25 February 2020, Katrine Vogt Møller.

Katrine Vogt Møller

Not all bacteria are harmful. In fact, some provide beneficial effects to the host organism and these are called probiotic bacteria. During her studies, Katrine has identified novel probiotic strains that increase lifespan and protect the small worm C. elegans against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. To gain a deeper understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms involved, she looked at changes in the levels of small molecules (metabolites) in C. elegans upon consumption of probiotics. The analysis has identified a number of metabolites and pinpointed mechanisms that might be causally involved in the beneficial longevity response and the protective effect against MRSA. These discoveries will contribute to the understanding of probiotic mechanisms of action, which is important for developing future alternatives to traditional antibiotics.

The PhD degree was completed at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.

This résumé was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Tuesday 25 February 2020 at 13:00
Place: Building 1253, Room 317, William Scharff auditorium, Søauditorierne, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 3, 8000 Aarhus C
Title of dissertation: Lactobacilli protect C. elegans against MRSA infection and change host proteome and metabolome
Contact information: Katrine Vogt Møller, e-mail: kvc@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +45 27123515
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Gordon Lithgow, Buck Institute for Research on Aging, California, USA
Associate Professor Line Elnif Thomsen, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Associate Professor Ernst-Martin Füchtbauer (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor:
Senior Researcher Emøke Bendixen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisors:
Associate Professor Anders Olsen, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, University of Aalborg, Denmark
Associate Professor Frans Mulder, Department of Chemistry, iNANO, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.