Anaïs Feuillet

Research interests

Photorhabdus bacteria are symbiotically associated with Heterorhabditis nematodes, which are insect parasites. In their infective juvenile stage, these nematodes attack insects and small arthropods in the soil. Then, the nematodes release their symbiotic bacteria in the insect. The bacteria multiply and produce toxins, antibiotics and digestive enzymes that kill the insect. Interestingly, the bacteria produce also bioluminescence during infection. In the soil, the bacteria are subjected to different temperature regimes and also to high intraspecific competition. The aim of my internship is to understand: i) the evolution of thermotolerance; ii) the evolution of intraspecific competition, and iii) the evolution of bioluminescence in Photorhabdus bacteria.