A system for molecular characterization of intragenomic conflicts

Genomes, the collective DNA of an organism, enable intricate cellular life, developmental complexity, and advanced animal behavior. However, the same genomes also contain multitudes of selfish genetic elements, also termed 'DNA parasites', that battle for cellular resources and space in the DNA habitat. To uncover how DNA parasites impact animal germline biology, an amenable biological model system needs to be paired with very sensitive methods to read out the molecular phenotypes in experimental tests of DNA parasite regulation and function. Exactly this will be enabled by the infrastructure grant from the Carlsberg Foundation through the acquisition of new advances laboratory equipment.