The Jiggins Lab Webpage

Julien Martinez

Research Interests

I have a broad interest in evolutionary biology and specifically in host-symbiont coevolution. My current research focuses on the association between the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia and its Drosophila hosts. Wolbachia is maternally-transmitted and was found to protect its insect host against viruses. Due to this antiviral effect, Wolbachia is now being used as a biocontrol agent to eradicate mosquito-borne viruses as dengue and Zika (Eliminate Dengue Program, http://www.eliminatedengue.com/).

Using a multidisciplinary approach (experimental, molecular biology, high-througput sequencing) my aim is to unravel the mechanisms of Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection and the selective pressures driving the evolution of this phenotype.

You will find more details about my research here: Personal Website Google Scholar ORCID

Education and Employment

2012-present: Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge (UK).

2008-2011: PhD, UMR CNRS 5558 Biometry & Evolutionary Biology Laboratory, University of Lyon (France). Supervisors : F. Fleury & J. Varaldi.

2007-2008: Master 2 "Ecology, Evolution & Biometry", University of Lyon (France).

2006-2007: Master 1 "Ecology, Microbial Ecology & Biometry", University of Lyon (France).

2004-2006: Licence "Population and Organism Biology", University of Lyon (France).

2001-2003: Undergraduate diploma in environmental studies and land management, Aubenas (France).

Publications

*co-first author

Martinez J, Cogni R, Cao C, Smith S, Illingworth CJR and Jiggins FM. 2016. Addicted ? Reduced host resistance in populations with defensive symbionts. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 283(20160778): DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0778.

Cattel J, Martinez J*, Jiggins FM, Mouton L, Gibert P. 2016. Wolbachia-mediated protection against viruses in the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii. Insect Molecular Ecology. 25(5): 595-603.

Rainey SM, Martinez J*, McFarlane M, Juneja P, Sarkies P, Lulla A, Schnettler E, Varjak M, Merits A, Miska EA, Jiggins FM, Kohl A. 2016. Wolbachia Blocks Viral Genome Replication Early in Infection without a Transcriptional Response by the Endosymbiont or Host Small RNA Pathways. PLoS Pathogens, 12(4): e1005536.

Cattel J, Kaur R, Gibert P, Martinez J, Fraimout A, Jiggins FM, Andrieux T, Siozios S, Anfora G, Miller WJ, Rota-Stabelli O, Mouton L. 2016. Wolbachia in European populations of the invasive pest Drosophilasuzukii: regional variation in infection frequencies. PLoS One, 11(1): e0147766.

Martinez J, Lepetit D, Ravallec M, Fleury F and Varaldi J. 2016. An additional heritable virus in the parasitic wasp Leptopilina boulardi: prevalence, transmission and phenotypic effects. Journal of General Virology, 97(2): 523-35.

Martinez J, Fleury F and Varaldi J. 2015. Competitive outcome of multiple infections in a behavior-manipulating virus/wasp interaction. Ecology and Evolution. 5(24): 5934-45.

Martinez J, Ok S, Smith S, Snoeck K, Day JP and Jiggins FM. 2015. Should Symbionts Be Nice or Selfish? Antiviral Effects of Wolbachia Are Costly but Reproductive Parasitism Is Not. PLoS Pathogens, 11(7): e1005021.

Martinez J, Longdon B, Bauer S, Chan YS, Miller WJ, Bourtzis K, Teixeira L and Jiggins FM. 2014. Symbionts Commonly Provide Broad Spectrum Resistance to Viruses in Insects: A Comparative Analysis of Wolbachia Strains. PLoS Pathogens, 10(9): e1004369.

Chrostek E, Marialva MSP, Esteves SS, Weinert LA, Martinez J, Jiggins FM and Teixeira, L. 2013. Wolbachia Variants Induce Differential Protection to Viruses in Drosophila melanogaster: A Phenotypic and Phylogenomic Analysis. PLoS Genetics, 9(12): e1003896.

Longdon B, Cao C, Martinez J and Jiggins FM. 2013. Previous exposure to an RNA virus does not protect against subsequent infection in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS One, (8)9: e73833.

Martinez J, Duplouy A, Vavre F, O’Neil S and Varaldi J. 2012. Influence of the virus LbFV and of Wolbachia in a host-parasitoid interaction. PLoS One, 7(4): e35081.

Martinez J, Fleury F and Varaldi J. 2011. Heritable variation in an extended phenotype: the case of a parasitoid manipulated by a virus. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 25(1): 54-65.

Varaldi J, Martinez J, Patot S, Lepetit D, Fleury F and Gandon S. 2011. An inherited virus manipulating the behaviour of its parasitoid host: epidemiology and evolutionary consequences. Parasitoid Viruses. N. Beckage & JM Drezen Editors, Elsevier. pp.119-139.

Martinez J. 2011. Wolbachia: une nouvelle arme dans la lutte contre le virus de la dengue. Médecine Sciences, 27(11): 947.

Patot S, Martinez J, Allemand R, Gandon S, Varaldi J and Fleury F. 2010. Prevalence of a virus inducing host behavioural manipulation during species range expansion. Molecular Ecology, 19(14): 2995-3007.