Amelia Lindsey

The Lindsey Lab uses functional genomics to understand insect biology and reproduction in the context of symbiotic associations. The evolutionary history of eukaryotes is tightly linked to endosymbiosis and sexual reproduction. Not only was the evolution of eukaryotic life facilitated by the acquisition and vertical inheritance of intracellular microbes, but intracellular symbionts, organelles, and pathogens continue to sculpt the evolutionary trajectories of eukaryotes broadly. In insects and other arthropods, there is an abundance of recently acquired endosymbionts that have evolved mechanisms for altering host sex and reproduction. Approximately half of all insects are infected with one such bacterium: Wolbachia. Despite how common Wolbachia is, we know relatively little about the mechanisms by which Wolbachia establishes infection in insects and alters their biology. Our research merges molecular biology, genomics, evolution, computational biology, microbiology, and entomology to uncover fundamental mechanisms of species interactions with a major focus on the insect reproductive symbiont, Wolbachia.