Molecular basis of the interaction between Listeria monocytogenes and endothelial cells during listeriosis

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Michael Kuhn
• Subject Area: Parasitology and Biology of Tropical Infectious Disease Pathogens
• Term: from 2002 to 2003
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5389471

The interaction of the facultative intracellular bacterium L. monocytogenes with endothelial cells is studied in my group using transfected human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC). The studies proposed here deal with the initial interaction of L. monocytogenes with endothelial cells during adhesion and invasion and the relevance of complex cell culture models. The foci of the first part will be on the mechanisms of adhesion to and invasion into HBMEC, on the signal transduction events occurring during invasion of HBMEC and in the elucidation of the role of human serum components in the inhibition of HBMEC invasion. In the second part of the project we will analyse whether clinical and food isolates of L. monocytogenes interact differently with endothelial cells of different origin and we will establish two more complex cell culture models for the in vitro study of the penetration of the blood brain-barrier by L. monocytogenes.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1130: Infections of the Endothelium