SFB 576:  Facultative Microbial Pathogenesis and Innate Immunity

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: from 2001 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5484626

Facultative pathogenic (opportunistic) microorganisms are of central importance for the morbidity and mortality of infectious diseases. Whereas the development of infectious diseases by obligatory pathogenic microorganisms is largely independent of the host's innate immune defense capacity, facultative pathogenic microorganisms may colonize host organisms under physiological conditions and are kept under the control of innate immunity. The innate immune system is considered the primary sensor of infectious danger. It uses pattern recognition receptors to detect invariant biochemical structures of potential microbial pathogens and translates recognition into cellular signals that may lead to pathogen defense and activation of adaptive immunity. Infectious diseases caused by facultative microbial pathogens may result either from defects in innate immunity or the acquisition of pathogenetic factors by microorganisms that may counteract innate immune defense and deregulate the physiological equilibrium with the host organism. The major aims of the collaborative research centre are to further elucidate mechanisms and potential defects of innate immunity as well as pathogenic alterations of opportunistic microorganisms. Potential clinical implications of the research program are to identify predictive indicators for the development of infectious diseases caused by facultative microbial pathogens, to create improved adjuvants and vaccination protocols, and to elaborate new concepts for therapeutic and preventive interventions.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Completed projects

• A1 - Die Funktion von Toll-like Rezeptoren bei der Erkennung von Infektionen (Project Head Kirschning, Carsten Jürgen )
• A02 - Steuerung von Immunantworten durch Chemokin- und Cytokin-vermittelte Interaktionen zwischen T-Zellen und dendritischen Zellen (Project Head Förster, Irmgard )
• A4 - Molekulare Mechanismen der Granolocytenadhäsion und -migration (Project Head Kolanus, Waldemar )
• A05 - Host defense and immune regulation in the CSF space: investigations in a mouse model of pneumococcal meningitis (Project Head Ködel, Uwe )
• A6 - Analyse der Funktionen von Interferon y-induzierten Genen bei der angeborenen Infektionsabwehr (Project Head Pfeffer, Klaus )
• A07 - Activation and termination of innate immune responses during polymicrobial sepsis (Project Head Holzmann, Bernhard )
• A08 - Ex vivo quantification of the interplay between innate and adaptive immune cells leading to protective immunity (Project Head Busch, Dirk )
• A09 - RNA als mikrobielles Erkennungsmuster (Project Head Bauer, Stefan )
• A10 - The role of NF-êB/Rel activation during acute pancreatitis and inflammation-associated pulmonary damage (Project Heads Algül, Hana ;  Schmid, Roland M. )
• A11 - Negative Regulation von Zytokinproduktion und Pathogen-Kontrolle in Makrophagen durch IL-10 und seine Mediatoren (Project Head Lang, Roland )
• A12 - Molecular pathways and immunological consequences of microbe- induced all death in the innate immune system (Project Heads Häcker, Georg ;  Kirschnek, Susanne )
• A13 - Card9 Signaling in the innate immune response (Project Head Ruland, Jürgen )
• B01 - Immunomodulatory functions of Helicobacter pylori vacuolating cytotoxin VacA (Project Head Haas, Rainer )
• B3 - Molekulare Analyse der Entstehung und infektiologische Bedeutung von small colony variant (SCV)-Erregern (Project Head Roggenkamp, Andreas )
• B5 - Charakterisierung der chemotaktischen Aktivität des regulatorischen HIV-1 Nef Proteins (Project Head Erfle, Volker )
• B06 - Modulation of the innate immune system by KSHV (Project Head Haas, Jürgen )
• B7 - Herpesvirusinfektionen bei der Organtransplantation: Rolle des Cytomegalovirus bei der Pathogenese des chronischen Transplantatversagens (Project Heads Heidecke, Claus-Dieter ;  Koszinowski, Ulrich H. ;  Pfeffer, Klaus )
• B08 - Germination of Aspergillus fumigatus and the resulting consequences for the innate immune response (Project Head Heesemann, Jürgen )
• B09 - Soluble fibronectin and bacterial defence (Project Head Fässler, Reinhard )
• B10 - Modulation des Toll-like Rezeptor Signaling durch bakterielle TIR-Proteine (Project Head Miethke, Thomas )
• B11 - Intracellular mechanisms of the immunomodulation by Yersinia V antigen (Project Heads Heesemann, Jürgen ;  Sing, Andreas )
• B12 - Analyse der möglichen protektiven Rolle von Komponenten der angeborenen Immunität bei Prion-Infektionen in vitro und in vivo (Project Head Schätzl, Hermann M. )
• B13 - Role of Helicobacter pylori ã-Glutamyltranspeptidase for immune evasion (Project Head Gerhard, Markus )
• B14 - Cell autonomous defense in the control of hepatitis B virus infection (Project Head Protzer, Ulrike )
• Z01 - Zentrale Aufgaben des SFB (Project Head Holzmann, Bernhard )

• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität München (TUM)
• Participating University: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
• Participating Institution: Klinikum der Universität München; Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie (MPIB)
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Bernhard Holzmann