Molecular mechanisms of mycobacteria exit from their host cell

• Applicant: Dr. Monica Hagedorn
• Subject Area: Parasitology and Biology of Tropical Infectious Disease Pathogens ; Cell Biology
• Term: from 2010 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 190972711

Better knowledge about their virulence mechanisms and host cell interactions are indispensable to identify new therapy targets and develop new drugs to efficiently treat destructive mycobaterial infections, like tuberculosis caused by M. tuberculosis. Making use of the tractable Dictyostelium discoideum - M. marinum model system we have characterized cell-to-cell transmission via the F-actin based ejectosome structure. Most strikingly, with the initial help of correlative light and electronmicroscopy (CLEM) we could show show that the autophagic machinery is essential in successfull transmission of bacteria. In the proposed projects we want to continue the dissection of molecular players that lead to the generation and efficient function of ejectosomes. In addition, we will further characterize the role of autophagy in bacterial egress and follow the hypothesis that this might represent an evolutionary conserved mechanism of repairing large plasma-membrane wounds.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants