Benoit Joel Bruno Malleret

1) Molecular mechanisms of Plasmodium species invasionSuccessful infection of vertebrate hosts by Plasmodium species depends on several factors, one of the main determinants being the presence of appropriateerythrocyte surface receptors. The two types of infected erythrocytes are reticulocytes (immature red blood cells) and normocytes (mature red blood cells). There is variation in the levels of surface receptors expressed by erythrocytes at different stages of differentiation, which lead to the differences in the cell tropism for Plasmodium parasites invasion. Our lab has identified several reticulocyte-specific receptors (CD71 and CD98) for Plasmodium vivax. The role of these receptors for other Plasmodium species is also addressed in our lab and to characterize the host-receptors involved in Babesia species, another family of erythrocytic parasites associated to zoonotic infections.2) Gut microbiome interactions with host cells The microbiome field is well characterized with metagenomics analysis but the topology of this environment in the gut is not well understood. We used imaging technologies including holo-tomography and electron microscopy to understand theinteractions between viruses, bacteria, parasites, and the host cells. The lab has also developed a bacteriophage platform to intervene on the gut microbiome in the context of the dysbioses.