The expansion of bacterial genome datasets presents a unique opportunity to identify sequence variations associated with infections in enteric bacteria, despite the challenges of sparse phenotypic data and evolutionary differences among species.

This study aims to use phenotype-free selection scans to pinpoint hotspots for positive infection-related sequence variation in three key enteric pathogens. Employing a combination of structural prediction and co-evolution analysis to construct protein-protein interaction maps, followed by network propagation methods, the project seeks to identify and evaluate infection-relevant functional network modules and their conservation across species. Through in silico experiments and experimental validation, the research will identify critical vulnerabilities in pathogenic strains, aiming to inform infection biology and facilitate the development of new resources for the community.

Evangelia Petsalaki (EMBL-EBI), John Lees (EMBL-EBI), Nassos Typas (EMBL), Patrick Aloy (IRB Barcelona)