K. Mathias Wegner Institute of Integrative Biology, Environmental Sciences, E T H Zürich, CH Title Coevolution, recombination and immune genes: a six legged story Abstract The Red-Queen-hypothesis of antagonistic coevolution stated that the arms race between hosts and their parasites can, at least partly, explain the spread of recombination modifiers despite of the two-fold cost associated with sexual reproduction. And indeed, an increased recombination rate could be found in the flour beetle Tribolium castanaeum and coevolution with its microsporidian parasite Nosema whitei. I will review the conditions of coevolution, which are met in this system and extend these findings to other insect taxa. CV Dr. K. Mathias Wegner (born 05.03.1974, Niebüll, Germany) Professional experience 1995-2001 Dipl. Biology Georg-August-University Göttingen , Germany 1998 Diploma in Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 2001-2004 PhD Max-Planck-Institute of Limnology, Plön, Germany 2005-2006 PostDoc ETH Zürich 2006-present Assistant, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich Research interests So far, my scientific interests were focused on vertebrate immune genes with special emphasis on classical genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of three-spined sticklebacks (see also www.mpil- ploen.mpg.de/english/evoleco /evoleco1.htm). The MHC is a gene dense region with most genes involved in immunity. Yet, the MHC contains one of the experimentally best characterized recombination hot-spots in the human genome, suggesting that these immune genes might experience episodes of fluctuating epistasis as predicted by the Red-Queen-hypothesis of antagonistic co-evolution.Now, I try to explore these kinds of interactions between immune genes in an experimentally easier tractable model system, the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (http://bru.gmprc.ksu.edu/proj/tribolium/) and its natural microsporidian parasite Nosema whitei. With the use of molecular markers obtained from the full genomic sequence (http://www.hgsc.bcm.tmc.edu/projects/tribolium/) of Tribolium, I want to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL), and ultimately genes, which are involved in resistance. These markers will be traced through time in experimental co-evolution studies to reveal the dynamics underlying co-evolution. Selected recent publications Wegner K. M., Kalbe M., Reusch T.B.H. (in press), Innate versus adaptive immunity in sticklebacks: Evidence for trade-offs from a selection experiment, Evolutionary Ecology Schaschl, H. & Wegner K. M. (in press), Polymorphism and signature of selection in the MHC class I genes of the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), Journal of Fish biology Kurtz J., Wegner K. M., Kalbe M., Reusch T. B. H., Schaschl H., Hasselquist D. and Milinski M. (2006). "MHC genes and oxidative stress in sticklebacks an immuno-ecological approach." Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences 273, 1407-1414 Wegner K. M., Kalbe M., Rauch G., Kurtz J., Schaschl H. and Reusch T. B. H.(2006). "Genetic variation in MHC Class II expression and interactions with MHC sequence polymorphism in three-spined sticklebacks." Molecular Ecology 15 (4): 1153-1164 pdf Milinski M., Griffiths S., Wegner K. M., Reusch T. B. H, Haas-Assenbaum A. and Boehm T. (2005). "Mate choice decisions of stickleback females predictably modified by MHC peptide ligands." Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the U.S.A. 102(12): 4414-4418 Wegner K. M., M. Kalbe, H. Schaschl and T. B. H. Reusch (2004). Parasites and individual major histocompatibility complex diversity - an optimal choice? Microbes and Infection 6: 1110-1116 pdf Reusch, T. B. H., Schaschl H. and Wegner K. M. (2004). Recent duplication and inter-locus gene conversion in major histocompatibility class II-genes in a teleost, the three-spined stickleback. Immunogenetics 56: 427-437 Wegner K. M., Kalbe M., Kurtz J., Reusch T. B. H., Milinski M. (2004). Response toComment on ‘Parasite Selection for Immunogenetic Optimality’. Science 303:957b pdf Kurtz J., Kalbe M., Aeschlimann P. B., Häberli M., Wegner K. M., Reusch T. B. H., Milinski M. (2004). Major histocompatibility complex diversity influences parasite resistance and innate immunity in sticklebacks, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences 271:197-204 Wegner K. M., Kalbe M., Kurtz J., Reusch T. B. H., Milinski M., (2003). Parasite selection for immunogenetic optimality. Science 301:1343 pdf Wegner K. M., Reusch T. B. H., Kalbe M. (2003). Multiple parasites are driving majorhistocompatibility complex polymorphism in the wild, Journal of Evolutionary Biology 16(2): 224-232 pdf Kalbe M., Wegner K. M., Reusch T. B. H. (2002). Dispersion patterns of parasites in 0+ year three-spined sticklebacks: a cross population comparison, Journal of Fish Biology 60(6): 1529-1542 Reusch T. B. H., Wegner K. M., Kalbe M. (2001). Rapid genetic divergence of postglacial populations of the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): the role of habitat type, drainage and geographic proximity, Molecular Ecology 10:2435-2446 Institution address K. Mathias Wegner Institut of Integrative Biology Environmental Sciences Departement Universitätstrasse 16 ETH-Zentrum, CHN H 72 CH-8092 Zürich Tel.: +41 44 633 60 36 mathias.wegner@env.ethz http://www.eco.ethz.ch/people/assistants/wegnerm/