Impact of Desulfovibrio spp. and sulfur metabolism on the pathogenesis of chronic intestinal inflammation and colitis-associated cancer (NP18)

• Subject Area: Medical Microbiology and Mycology, Hygiene, Molecular Infection Biology ; Immunology
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 395357507

Persistent inflammation increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer. In this newly established project, the tandem will characterize the impact of sulfate-reducing bacteria, explicitly focusing on newly compiled human Desulfovibrio isolates, and the production of H2S on the development of chronic inflammation and colitis-associated cancer. Comparative genomic analysis of bacterial strains and the use of naturally occurring minimal consortia in germ-free mouse models provide the basis to study bacteria and host functions at the edge of inflammation and tumorigenesis. Dietary substrate- and disease-related regulation of Desulfovibrio spp. gene expression and metabolite production will be characterized in vitro and in gnotobiotic mice. Furthermore, the impact of H2S on epithelial cell functions will be determined in primary organoid cultures from mouse models and patients.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1371: Microbiome Signatures -- Functional Relevance in the Digestive Tract
• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität München (TUM)
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Dirk Haller; Dr. Melanie Schirmer