Professor in Molecular Evolution
Phone: +46 18 471 4379
Siv.Andersson(kanelbulle)ebc.uu.se
Research group
The research group consists of three PhD-students (Kirsten Ellegaard, Johan Viklund and Katarzyna Zaremba), two postdocs (Christina Toft and Lionel Guy) and two research engineers (Kristina Näslund, Ann-Sofie Eriksson).
Research
The research in my group aims at understanding how microbial genomes evolve. We sequenced the typhus pathogen genome, which was the first genome to be fully sequenced in Sweden (published in Nature 1998). We have since then published more than 100 scientific papers, sequenced several additional genomes I have been invited to present our work at more than 100 international conferences.
My goal is to understand the mutational mechanisms and the evolutionary forces that drive genomic changes in microbes with different genome sizes, lifestyles and population sizes. The challenge is to infer the evolutionary past from modern genomes and predict how they will evolve in the future. This knowledge is important for understanding the interplay between the bacterium and its host, the basis for virulence and to be able to estimate the risk for outbreak of novel infectious diseases. Below are more details about the various projects.
Pathogenomics
A strong focus of my research is on pathogen genomics. Species of the genus Bartonella are particularly attractive for genomic studies of niche-adaptation and speciation because of their unique ecological characteristics: the 20 different “species” identified so far colonize a wide range of animal hosts. We currently perform comparative genomic studies of Bartonella isolated from domestic animals (such as dogs, cats and cows) and wild animals (such as mice, moose and kangaroos) (PNAS 2004; PLoS Genetics 2009). There are several species in this bacterial group that cause human infectious disease, the most devastating of which is the agent of Oroya fever with a mortality rate of 80% if left untreated. By comparing these genomes we aim to learn more about the evolutionary changes associated with host shifts and the emergence of infectious disease agents from bacteria that are harmless in their natural hosts.
Symbiomics
Another focus is on insect endosymbionts with small genomes. We started out by sequencing the genome of the endosymbiont of pea aphid (Science 2001, PNAS 2008) and more recently the genome of Wolbachia, an endosymbiont of Drosophila simulans and a manipulator of sex ratios in insect populations (PNAS 2009). Using single cell genomics technologies, we are now sequencing several more genomes with the aim of understanding the molecular machineries that these bacteria use to take control over their eukaryotic host. With support from a grant from SciLifeLabUppsala, Lisa Klasson from Uppsala University and I are now setting up methods for sequencing genomes en masse from single host individuals. In collaboration with Julie Hotopp (USA), we are studying the transfer of entire bacterial genomes into the nuclear genomes of Drosophila.
How to make a Eukaryote
Since many years back I am also interested in questions concerning early microbial life and the origin of mitochondria. To learn more about the evolution of cellular compartmentalization we are currently sequencing the genomes of members of the Planctomycetes that display remarkable nuclear-like cellular features. This is a joint collaborative adventure with Thijs Ettema from Uppsala University and John Fuerst from Australia. In collaboration with Sandra Baldauf and Jan Andersson at Uppsala University some of the deepest, but still unresolved questions concerning the origin of the eukaryotic cell and early eukaryotic evolution will be attacked.
Metagenomics and Microbial Diversity
In collaboration with Stefan Bertilsson and Alexander Eiler at Uppsala University and Ramunas Stepanakus at the Bigelow Ocean Laboratory (USA) we are investigating marine and freshwater bacterial communities using metagenomics and single cell genomics. We are particularly interested in the SAR11 clad of bacteria, which represents the most abundant bacterial population on Earth. One goal is to explore the diversity to understand the importance of environmental factors to the genetic diversity in these successful populations.
Background
I received my PhD in Molecular Biology in 1990 at Uppsala University and did a first postdoc at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK and a second at the Columbia Medical School in New York. In 2000 I was appointed full Professor in Molecular Evolution at Uppsala University. During 1999 to 2002, I headed the Linnaeus Centre for Bioinformatics in Uppsala and from 2003-2009 the Department of Evolution, Genomics and Systematics.
Honours and awards
In 2005, I received the Goran Gustafsson Prize in Molecular Biology from the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences. I was elected a member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) in 2000, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2004 and the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences (KVA) in 2005. I was the elected President of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB) during 2009-2011. I was awarded a 5-year grant in collaboration with Hans Ellegren from the Swedish Research Council for building up a Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Genomics. More recently, we received a grant for establishing a strong research environment on the topic “The genomics of phenotypic diversity in natural populations” (applicants Per Ahlberg, Sandra Baldauf, Hans Ellegren, Anna Qvarnström, Jon Ågren and myself).
Personal interests
I started training for sports 6 years ago and completed the Swedish Classic five times during 2005-2009 (90 km skiing, 300 km biking, 3 km swimming and 30 km running). I have won my age group in the running race Lidingöloppet 30 km once (2009) and in the skiing race Engelbrektsloppet 60 km several times (2007, 2009, 2010). I started to race in biking for the cycling team Brudpiga RK in 2010 and competed in the Road Masters Swedish Championships in Järvsö, Sweden. In the summer of 2010, I also raced for the Swedish National Team in the Road Masters Nordic Championships in Hamar, Norway.
My next goal is to race in the UCI Road Masters World Championships in Austria (August 2011).
