University of Groningen Lactococcus lactis bacteriophages: phage-host interaction and phage transduction Marcelli, Barbara

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University of Groningen

Lactococcus lactis bacteriophages: phage-host interaction and phage transduction

Marcelli, Barbara

DOI:

10.33612/diss.118088081

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Publication date: 2020

Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database

Citation for published version (APA):

Marcelli, B. (2020). Lactococcus lactis bacteriophages: phage-host interaction and phage transduction. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. https://doi.org/10.33612/diss.118088081

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Completing a PhD project is a long, challenging and exciting journey. I could never have completed this work without the support of many people that guided and encouraged me along the way, and that helped me get through the fun and the (way) less fun moments of the past six years. Here I would like to thank them.

First and foremost I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you, Oscar. Your scientific and professional guidance during my years at MolGen has been essential for the development of my project. Our conversations and brainstorm sessions greatly helped in finding a way of facing the many challenges that I was confronted with. Thank you for your incredible positivity, for your support, and for always believing in me. I appreciate a lot the freedom you always gave me and that contributed to turning me into the researcher I am today. Finally, thank you for creating, in MolGen, a place where everyone can be themselves and that has always represented a safe place for me.

Jan, thank you for sharing with me your incredible passion and historical knowledge about

L. lactis research. I always appreciated our meetings where long hours of experiments

planning and chapters proofreading often ended with equally interesting discussions about art, Dutch and Italian culture, and frogs and flies breeding! Also, thank you for often leaving me with the answers to my questions and with a couple of brand new questions. It provided me with the important lesson that there is always a different angle from where to tackle a problem.

Danny, being able to walk into your office and scribble my phage-related frustration on

your whiteboard to ask for suggestions and comments, has been very important in the last year of my PhD. Your input on chapter 5 helped me enormously. Grazie!

To the academic and industrial partners involved in my project: Michiel Kleerebezem,

Peter Bron, Patrick Derkx, Eric Johansen, Mariela Serrano, Wilco Meijer, Arjen Nauta, Tadhg O’Sullivan. I am thankful for all your suggestions and encouragement during the

many meetings we had throughout our years of collaboration. I am especially grateful to Thomas Janzen. Your supervision during my visits to Chr. Hansen was extremely valuable to me. Thank you for teaching me about bacteriophage applied research, for always listening to my ideas, and for reading and giving valuable inputs on my chapters.

Joyce and Simon, I am happy we got to share this big project and I always enjoyed our

ideas exchange as well as our coffee break conversations.

Anne de Jong and Harma, thank you for your precious help and collaboration without

which some of these chapters could not have seen the light.

Anne Hesseling, I am glad we managed to work together on the 2D gel project. It’s a pity

it didn’t make it to the final version of the chapter, but it was fun learning from you along the way.

Siger, thank you for your precious help with keeping this lab running efficiently.

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Peter, Anna, and Jesse, thank you for your work in the kitchen that considerably reduces

the time we spend on our experiments

Manon and Jannet. I don’t know what would have been of my trips reservations,

conference fee payments, and HR administration if it wasn’t for you. It’s always nice to walk into your office and add a little chat next to the important business.

Luiza and Patricia, thank you for being the perfect paranymphs and much more to me.

Lu, you are a great scientist and discussing my experiments with you always proved to be more than helpful. Furthermore, and equally importantly: thank you for all the brunches, the very unhealthy amount of coffee, the trips, the walks, the laughter, the dad jokes, the important conversations, and the memories. One doesn’t get to finish a PhD while keeping some sanity, without all of the above. Mi Paty! Gracias por ser la persona tan bella que eres y por ser mi amiga a la vez, por siempre entenderme y apoyarme. Igual nunca te lo dije pero mi vida en Groningen se ha hecho más bonita y divertida desde que has llegado a MolGen.

To all the current and past Molgeners that have crossed my path: thank you for being the diverse, interesting, and fun group that you are. It was a pleasure working next to all of you.

I will always remember my very first office mates, thanks to whom I immediately felt at ease coming to work. Jeroen and Mirjam, scientific and definitely non-scientific conversations with you were my favorite. Jeroen, thank you for always telling me you believe in my capabilities. I appreciate it more than I may have shown. Mirjam, I am glad you often shared with me your point of view on politics, life, and human relationships. You always provide new food for thought.

Ard Jan, your peculiar sense of humor, that challenged me at the beginning, turned out to

be one of the highlights of all our lunch breaks. I cherish the years that we spent together at MolGen as they were full of interesting scientific conversation as much as more silly and well-needed ones.

Manolo, ya ves: a pesar de todas tus dudas, se puede defender una tesis sobre fagos!

Muchas gracias por todos los consejos que me diste durante mis primeros años de doctorado, por las charlas, los salmorejos los domingos por la tarde, y también por los apodos que me pusiste!

Arnau e Marianna, le circostanze che ci hanno portato a trovarci sono tanto particolari

come l’amicizia che continua ad unirci e che custodisco con affetto. I nostri incontri e le nostre telefonate a tre mi mettono sempre di buon umore. Gràcies!

Jhonatan, Ruben, Amanda, Diego, Vicky, Fleur: thank you for all the nice chats, lunch

breaks, parties and scientific discussions of the las years, you all contributed to make this journey more fun.

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Marten, my partner in crime, Miller, grandpa, and adviser. You have been the perfect

housemate with whom to share the frustration after a day in the field, the happiness for a published paper, and the ups and downs of an Italian living in the Netherlands. I will definitely need some of that calma speeches even when we won’t be housemates anymore! When I think of my years in Groningen, my mind inevitably travels back to the most incredibly assorted group of humans that I am lucky to call my friends. David, Andi,

Bryan and Martin, my team G, I don’t even know where to begin to thank you. Our party

nights in the city that always started with a pint at “the living room” hold some of the most fun memories of the last 6 years. The houseboat filled with you and your very loud laughter, gave me the feeling of having a bit of home away from home, and for that, I will always be grateful. I loved all our reunions weekends and I look forward to the next to come.

I am deeply thankful for my Italian friends and big Italian family. Their love and support gave me the courage to pack my bags, move to the far cold north, and start this incredible adventure that has been my PhD. They represent my roots and my past, constantly form part of my present, and shape my future.

A Raffaella, grazie perché ci sei stata durante tutte le fasi important; gli alti, i bassi, e i molto bassi; e perché mi conosci ancora, e nonostante i km che ci dividono da anni. Prima del dottorato fu la laurea, e gli anni di Parma non possono non voler dire anche

Luca. Grazie per i bei ricordi che ancora porto nel cuore e per essere da sempre una delle

mie certezze.

A tutti i miei zii e cugini: la mia famiglia numerosa è uno di quei luoghi comuni sugli italiani del quale vado piú fiera in assoluto. Il vostro affetto e la vostra presenza mi hanno aiutato a diventare la persona che sono oggi. Sapere che ci siete mi fa sempre sentire al sicuro, e i ricordi che condividiamo mi fanno sentire parte di qualcosa di speciale.

Mamma, Attilio, e Beatrice, il vostro supporto, che non ha mai vacillato, ha significato e

significa per me piú di quanto io non possa spiegare a parole. Siete indispensabili per me, in ogni aspetto della mia vita. Indubbiamente questo traguardo è anche vostro

A Giulio e Livia, grazie perché mi avete insegnato l’amore incondizionato e perché i vostri sorrisi mi scaldano il cuore.

Last but not least: my dear Jorg, thank you for being the kind soul that you are. I am deeply grateful for the way you always find to support and encourage me. Writing this thesis would have been for sure a much lonelier and harder journey without you. Thank you for being a safe place and for filling it with laughter and peace. I love you.