Dissection of the skin microbiome: insights for biotechnological exploitation

Staphylococcus species are common residents of human and animal skin and in some locations form a major part of the microbiome. The factors that select for the frequency of certain species in different niches are poorly understood and the mechanisms that structure each community remain to be determined. An understanding of these factors will enable novel personal care products to be developed that alter the presence or frequency of skin species associated with undesirable properties, such as odor or dermatitis. The research project will exploit new ways of working and data-driven biology to examine the phenotype of staphylococcal species associated with undesirable properties. Using comparative genomics and transcriptomics with other technologies the aim is to generate insights into pathways that can be targeted to manipulate colonisation and persistence of certain species of staphylococci. A further focus will be to investigate the role of peptidoglycan modifying enzymes and their regulation with respect to resistance of staphylococcal interactions with other species.