[
    {
        "id": "thesis:18849",
        "collection": "thesis",
        "collection_id": "18849",
        "cite_using_url": "https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:06252026-142447562",
        "type": "thesis",
        "title": "Multi-Scale Systems Analysis of the Squid-Vibrio Symbiosis",
        "author": [
            {
                "family_name": "Beilinson",
                "given_name": "Vera Michelle",
                "orcid": "0000-0002-1259-733X",
                "clpid": "Beilinson-Vera-Michelle"
            }
        ],
        "thesis_advisor": [
            {
                "family_name": "McFall-Ngai",
                "given_name": "Margaret J.",
                "orcid": "0000-0002-6046-6238",
                "clpid": "McFall-Ngai-Margaret-J"
            },
            {
                "family_name": "Pachter",
                "given_name": "Lior S.",
                "orcid": "0000-0002-9164-6231",
                "clpid": "Pachter-L"
            }
        ],
        "thesis_committee": [
            {
                "family_name": "Karthikeyan",
                "given_name": "Smruthi",
                "orcid": "0000-0001-6226-4536",
                "clpid": "Karthikeyan-Smruthi"
            },
            {
                "family_name": "Mazmanian",
                "given_name": "Sarkis K.",
                "orcid": "0000-0003-2713-1513",
                "clpid": "Mazmanian-S-K"
            },
            {
                "family_name": "Ruby",
                "given_name": "Edward  G.",
                "orcid": "0000-0002-4112-4830",
                "clpid": "Ruby-Edward"
            },
            {
                "family_name": "Pachter",
                "given_name": "Lior S.",
                "orcid": "0000-0002-9164-6231",
                "clpid": "Pachter-L"
            },
            {
                "family_name": "McFall-Ngai",
                "given_name": "Margaret J.",
                "orcid": "0000-0002-6046-6238",
                "clpid": "McFall-Ngai-Margaret-J"
            }
        ],
        "local_group": [
            {
                "literal": "div_biol"
            }
        ],
        "abstract": "<p>Animal\u2013microbe symbioses are fundamental to the biology of nearly all multicellular organisms, yet many questions remain regarding how hosts recognize beneficial microbes and establish stable associations. The symbiosis between the Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, and the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri provides a powerful model for investigating these processes.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>In this dissertation, I examined host\u2013microbe interactions across multiple biological scales, from bacterial genetic variation and tissue-level responses to cellular mechanisms of symbiosis. I demonstrate that bacterial strain identity influences host transcriptional responses. I further identify the skin as an early site of host\u2013microbe interaction, revealing that hosts respond to symbiont exposure prior to stable colonization of the light organ. Finally, I establish methodologies for single-cell and single-nucleus transcriptomics in E. scolopes, providing a foundation for investigating symbiosis at cellular resolution.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>Together, these findings show that host responses to symbiotic bacteria emerge from interconnected processes spanning bacterial genetics, host tissues, and individual cell types. This work advances our understanding of how beneficial host\u2013microbe partnerships are established and maintained and provides new tools for studying symbiosis in cephalopods and other animal systems.</p>",
        "doi": "10.7907/q2b1-xn16",
        "publication_date": "2027",
        "thesis_type": "phd",
        "thesis_year": "2027"
    }
]