thematique-recherche

Research groups

Research topics

The ‘Symbiosis and Immune Signaling’ group studies the mechanisms of interaction between host insects and their intracellular symbiotic bacteria. The group is particularly interested in the regulation of these mechanisms and their evolution. 
 

  • How does the host control the location and amount of symbiotic bacteria within specialized cells (bacteriocytes)?
  • How is the host's immune homeostasis maintained despite the massive and constant presence of bacteria?  
  • How are endosymbiotic bacteria integrated into the biology of the host at different scales, from the cell to the physiology of the insect?  

To answer these questions, we adopt evolutionary and multidisciplinary approaches on different model organisms, the main one being the association between cereal weevils Sitophilus spp. and the Gram-negative bacterium Sodalis pierantonius.

 

Find here the list of our Productions

 

Projects funded over the past 10 years

  • CODDE - Assessing the contribution of Dark DNA to rapid adaptive evolution. ANR PRC 2025 - PI: Cristina Vieira, Co-PI: Rita Rebollo & Séverine Chambeyron. Total amount: 686K€. 
  • ESSENTIAL - Investigating host and endosymbiont genetic hallmarks underlying rapid and contrasted phenotypIc diversification in cereal weevils. ANR PRC 2024. PI: Nicolas Parisot, Co-PI: Florence Hommais & Benjamin Gillet. Total amount: 633K€. https://anr.fr/Project-ANR-24-CE20-5388
  • FUNWEEVIL Dissecting bacteriome cell FUNctions and metabolic integration in cereal WEEVIL. AAP INRAE Département SPE 2023. PI: Anna Zaidman-Rémy, Co-PI: Fabrice Legeai. Total amount: 34K€.
  • Molecular mechanisms of host-bacteria interaction in nutritional mutualistic symbioses. Membre Junior Institut Universitaire de France (IUF) 2022-2027. PI: Anna Zaidman-Rémy. Total amount: 75K€. https://www.iufrance.fr/les-membres-de-liuf/membre/2454-anna-zaidman-remy.html
  • ENDOVIRE - Insect-virus genomic cohabitation: who regulates whom? ANR PRC 2020. PI: Nathalie Volkoff, Co-PI: Rita Rebollo & Emmanuelle Becker. Total amount: 555K€. https://anr.fr/Projet-ANR-22-CE20-0005
  • Myzus persicae symbiotic interactions impact on host epigenetic landscape - IDEX-FAPESP 2020. PI: Rita Rebollo, Co-PI: Fernando Cônsoli. Total amount: 40K€.
  • FOCuS - Deciphering the Functional Organization of Cross-kingdom 'metabolic factories’ in insect endoSymbiosis, ANR JCJC 2019. PI: Anna Zaidman-Rémy. Total amount: 344K€. https://anr.fr/Project-ANR-19-CE20-0010
  • Unleash - Unraveling the link between epigenetics and insect symbiosis. ANR, 2017. PI: Rita Rebollo. Total amount: 335K€. https://anr.fr/Project-ANR-17-CE20-0015
  • GREEN - Deciphering host immune gene regulation and function to target symbiosis disturbance and endosymbiont control in insect pests. ANR PRC 2017. PI: Aziz Heddi, Co-PI: Cristina Vieira, Sandrine Hughes & Amparo Latorre. Total amount: 530K€. https://anr.fr/Project-ANR-17-CE20-0031
  • Development of a versatile dual RNA-seq method for the comprehensive study of the symbiotic interactome: application in insects of agricultural interest. AAP INRAE Département SPE 2016. PI: Nicolas Parisot, Co-PI: Thierry Langin. Total amount: 40K€.
  • IMetSym - Immune and METabolic control in intracellular SYMbiosis of insects. ANR PRC 2013. PI: Aziz Heddi, Co-PI: Marylène Poirier & Federica Calevro. Total amount: 423K€. https://anr.fr/Project-ANR-13-BSV7-0016

PhD theses in progress or defended in the last 10 years

  • TILLET Marie - Génomique fonctionnelle des peptides antimicrobiens dans le contexte d'une symbiose mutualiste entre un insecte ravageur des céréales et une bactérie. 2025-
  • PIRES DAS DORES Ana Carolina - Contribution des éléments transposable à la variation et plasticité phénotypique. 2025-
  • MENDEZ LEYVA Jesus Uxue - Identification des signatures génomiques de la diversité phénotypique observée chez les charançons du genre Sitophilus et leurs bactéries symbiotiques - 2024-
  • POSSIGNOLO GOMES Mariane - Epigenetic regulation of Myzus persicae resistance to Diaeretiella rapae. 2022-
  • JORGE Raphaël - Analyse fonctionnelle des interactions entre les punaises de lit et leur symbiote nutritionnel Wolbachia - 2022-
  • LARUE Anaïs - Contribution des éléments Transposables à la plasticité phénotypique chez la Drosophile- 2022-2025
  • POULAIN Marius - Etude des interactions entre la punaise de lit et son symbiote nutritionnel obligatoire, Wolbachia - 2020-2023
  • ORLANS Julien - Caractérisation structurale et fonctionnelle de PGRP-LB : Modulation de la voie immunitaire IMD dans les interactions avec les bactéries pathogéniques et mutualistiques. 2018-2021
  • VARGAS CHAVEZ Carlos - Comparative genomics between two insect symbiotic models:Innate Immune System and amino acid biosynthetic pathways of the rice weevil Sitophilus oryzae and the cedar aphid Cinara cedri - 2015-2019
  • MAIRE Justin - Immune and developmental regulations in host-symbiont interactions in the cereal weevil Sitophilus - 2015-2018 

 

Media coverage

Architect bacteria build networked membranous structures to improve nutrition
Galambos et al. “Dual-transcriptomics on microdissected cells reveals functional specialisation of symbiont-bearing-cells and contrasted responses to nutritional stress in the cereal weevil.” Microbiome (2025) 
[FRENCH only] Emission : Elie Semoun ramène sa science : Episode 19 - La guerre contre le charançon : Elie Semoun au four et au moulin
[FRENCH only] La communication est la clé d’une cohabitation durable
Ferrarini et al. “Coordination of host and endosymbiont gene expression governs endosymbiont growth and elimination in the cereal weevil Sitophilus spp.” Microbiome (2023)
Ferrarini & Dell'Aglio et al. "Efficient compartmentalization in insect bacteriomes protects symbiotic bacteria from host immune system." Microbiome (2022)
[FRENCH only] Le génome du charançon des céréales déchiffré : un outil supplémentaire pour lutter contre ce ravageur

 

Research networks