Prof. Manuel Liebeke, Kiel University, Germany
Prof. Manuel Liebeke, Head of Department at the Institute for Human nutrition and food science, Metabolomics, Kiel University, will present: "Metabolism under the lens - spatial metabolomics reveals host-microbe interactions"
Main content
Small molecules – metabolites – provide the basis for chemical interactions between hosts and microbes. Most current techniques are unable to spatially link the metabolic phenotype and genotype of microorganisms, in situ, at a scale relevant to microbial interactions.Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) and fluorescence microscopy are the powerful tools we use to address two technical challenges: linking metabolite production to specific organisms in mixed communities and studying spatial metabolomes of symbioses in situ.
In our lab, we integrate metabolomics and chemical imaging with 3D tomography and microscopy. These combined methods provide a culture-independent approach to connect anatomical structure and metabolic function in millimeter-sized symbiotic animals. We developed a correlative imaging workflow to connect the in situ production of metabolites with the organ-scale and cellular 3D distributions of mutualistic and pathogenic (micro)organisms in the same host animal.
