CLEVES
LAB
The Cleves Lab researches the molecular, cellular, and developmental basis of how intracellular beneficial microbes invade and persist in animal cells to form symbiosis. They use ecologically critical cnidarian-algal symbioses as model systems to discover fundamental mechanisms of how beneficial microbes can manipulate animal cell biology and to gain key molecular insights into the ongoing destruction of coral reef ecosystems.
Mission
​​Beneficial microbes contribute to animal health and disease outcomes. However, the cellular and genetic basis that differentiate symbiotic from parasitic relationships are poorly understood, which impact our ability to leverage these interactions to improve health outcomes. We use newly genetically tractable cnidarian models, the anemone Aiptasia and reef-building corals, that select for beneficial endosymbiotic microbes to understand how the immune system, animal development, and core cellular processes change during a beneficial animal-microbe interaction, serving as a powerful model to understand how microbes impact animal health. Furthermore, the coral-algal symbiosis breaks down during heat stress in a process called bleaching - which is causing the collapse of coral reefs worldwide due to climate change. By studying this symbiosis and its breakdown, we aim to provide key molecular details to help drive new coral conservation efforts.
Phillip Cleves
I am a developmental geneticist and cell biologist studying how beneficial microbes shape animal physiology, development, and health. My overall research view is that significant advancements in our understanding of life and biomedicine can be improved by applying state-of-the-art molecular approaches in new model organisms with unique biology. Historically, studying non-traditional model organisms with unique biology has led to significant biomedical discoveries (e.g., the discovery of GFP, Taq polymerase, and CRISPR/Cas9). By studying untapped animal models, I aim to discover novel and fundamental principles about how beneficial microbes shape animal genetic and developmental pathways.
