Overview
I am an evolutionary microbiologist particularly interested in the coevolution between bacteria and their mobile genetic elements, responsible for the spread of bacterial traits affecting human health, including antimicrobial resistance and virulence.
My PhD, at INSERM in Paris with Francois Taddei, focused on understanding horizontal gene transfer from a social evolution perspective, using modelling and experiments using synthetic bacterial strains. During my first postdoc in Ben Raymond’s group (Imperial College London, then University of Exeter), I moved to more complex and realistic systems and used experimental evolution approaches to improve the efficacy of Bacillus thuringiensis, a pathogen of insects which virulence is mostly based on social behaviours. In parallel, I used the collections of natural isolates available in Dr. Raymond’s laboratory to continue exploring how bacteria interact with their mobile elements.In Edze Westra’s group in the University of Exeter, I am now investigating how antibiotics can affect bacterial coevolution with phages, and restriction-modification defences. I am also interested in how the transmission rate of mobile elements evolves.
Qualifications
2014 PhD in Evolutionary Biology (Université Paris-Descartes, France)
2010 MSc. in Genetics and Evolution (Université Paris-Sud and ENS Cachan, France)
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Research
Research interests
- horizontal gene transfer
- mobile genetic elements
- antimicrobial resistance
- bacterial immune systems
Research projects
Experimental evolution of Bacillus thuringiensis virulence to overcome insect host resistance
Diversity of plasmid transfer rates among natural isolates of Escherichia coli
Effect of antibiotics on the coevolution between bacterial immune systems and phages
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Publications
Journal articles
Morwool P, Dimitriu T, Crickmore N, Raymond B (In Press). Group selection as a basis for screening mutagenized libraries of public goods (Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins).
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Abstract.
Dimitriu T, Andrew C. M, Buckling A (In Press). Increased copy number couples the evolution of plasmid horizontal transmission and plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Abstract.
Pons BJ, Dimitriu T, Westra ER, van Houte S (2023). Antibiotics that affect translation can antagonize phage infectivity by interfering with the deployment of counter-defenses.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A,
120(4).
Abstract.
Author URL.
Dimitriu T, Souissi W, Morwool P, Darby A, Crickmore N, Raymond B (2023). Selecting for infectivity across metapopulations can increase virulence in the social microbe <i>Bacillus thuringiensis</i>.
Evolutionary Applications,
16(3), 705-720.
Abstract.
Dimitriu T, Kurilovich E, Łapińska U, Severinov K, Pagliara S, Szczelkun MD, Westra ER (2022). Bacteriostatic antibiotics promote CRISPR-Cas adaptive immunity by enabling increased spacer acquisition.
Cell Host Microbe,
30(1), 31-40.e5.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Pursey E, Dimitriu T, Paganelli FL, Westra ER, van Houte S (2022). CRISPR-Cas is associated with fewer antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial pathogens.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci,
377(1842).
Abstract.
Author URL.
Dimitriu T (2022). Evolution of horizontal transmission in antimicrobial resistance plasmids.
Microbiology (Reading),
168(7).
Abstract.
Author URL.
Dimitriu T, Misevic D, Lindner AB, Taddei F, Brown SP (2021). Bacteria can be selected to help beneficial plasmids spread.
PLoS Biol,
19(12).
Abstract.
Author URL.
Dimitriu T, Kurilovich E, Lapinska U, Severinov K, Pagliara S, Szczelkun MD, Westra ER (2021). Bacteriostatic antibiotics promote the evolution of CRISPR-Cas immunity.
Abstract.
Pursey E, Dimitriu T, Paganelli FL, Westra ER, van Houte S (2021). CRISPR-Cas is associated with fewer antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial pathogens.
Abstract.
Dimitriu T, Szczelkun MD, Westra ER (2020). Evolutionary Ecology and Interplay of Prokaryotic Innate and Adaptive Immune Systems. Current Biology, 30(19), R1189-R1202.
Dimitriu T, Matthews A, Buckling A (2020). Increased copy number couples the evolution of plasmid horizontal transmission and antibiotic resistance.
Abstract.
Dimitriu T, Marchant L, Buckling A, Raymond B (2019). Bacteria from natural populations transfer plasmids mostly towards their kin. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286
Dimitriu T, Ashby B, Westra ER (2019). Transposition: a CRISPR Way to Get Around.
Current Biology,
29(18), R886-R889.
Abstract.
Dimitriu T, Marchant L, Buckling A, Raymond B (2018). Plasmid transfer is biased towards close kin in bacteria from natural populations.
Abstract.
Dimitriu T, Misevic D, Capelle JB, Lindner AB, Brown SP, Taddei F (2018). Selection of horizontal gene transfer through public good production.
Abstract.
Medaney F, Dimitriu T, Ellis RJ, Raymond B (2016). Live to cheat another day: Bacterial dormancy facilitates the social exploitation of β-lactamases.
ISME Journal,
10(3), 778-787.
Abstract.
Dimitriu T, Misevic D, Lindner AB, Taddei F (2015). Mobile genetic elements are involved in bacterial sociality.
Mob Genet Elements,
5(1), 7-11.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Dimitriu T, Lotton C, Beńard-Capelle J, Misevic D, Brown SP, Lindner AB, Taddei F (2014). Genetic information transfer promotes cooperation in bacteria.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,
111(30), 11103-11108.
Abstract.
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