Amelia Lindsey

The Lindsey Lab uses functional genomics to understand insect biology and reproduction in the context of symbiotic associations. Not only was the evolution of eukaryotic life facilitated by the acquisition and vertical inheritance of intracellular microbes, but such 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 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 and cell biology, genomics, evolution, microbiology, and entomology to uncover mechanisms of interaction in reproductive symbioses.