Influence of hypoxia on Salmonella-host-interaction

• Applicants: Dr. Roman Gerlach; Professor Dr. Jonathan Jantsch
• Subject Area: Parasitology and Biology of Tropical Infectious Disease Pathogens
• Term: from 2013 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 228471145

Inflamed or infected tissues are known to be hypoxic. We hypothesize that oxygen availability is a critical factor for the pathogenicity of intracellular bacteria as well as the host's immune response. First we assume that hypoxia impairs the bactericidal activity of the host cells. Second we suspect that hypoxia regulates the activity of bacterial virulence factors. Third we assume that host and/ or intracellular bacteria govern the subcellular availablity of oxygen. We want to address these issues by using Salmonella as a pathogen. Our objectives are the following:1. We will determine the influence of hypoxia on the bactericidal activity of host cells2. We will analyze the influence of hypoxia on the activity of Salmonella virulence factors3. We will determine the oxygen tension present at the Salmonella-containing vacuole.Collaboration of investigators with expertise in infection-immunology (Jantsch) and cellular microbiology (Gerlach) will allow us to establish a new model system that may be relevant for various host-pathogen interactions.This project will allow us to analyze the following in the future: Which areas become hypoxic after systemic infection with salmonella? Does modulation of oxygen availability in vivo influence the course of a systemic Salmonella infection? These results may have important implications for the treatment of patients suffering from severe systemic bacterial infections.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants