SPP 1131:  Life Inside Cells

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: from 2002 to 2008
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5471503

Life inside cells covers a broad spectrum of self replicating units, extending from various forms of symbionts to pathogens. Although traditionally these forms of intracellular life are subjects of different areas of biological and biomedical research, they share essential cell biological principles; (i) they form defined compartments which are separated by membranes from other compartments and from the cytosol of the host cell, (ii) they contain genomic information, and (iii) they exchange metabolites with the host cell. The projects funded by the program address two main topics. ¿Endosymbionts and organelles¿ focuses on the molecular interactions which are essential to support the viability of the host cell and the symbiont/organelle. ¿Life within the cytosol and within vacuoles¿ concentrates on an elucidation of the molecular mechanisms which allow intracellular pathogens to survive within the infected cell and which contribute to pathogenesis. Our knowledge of symbiotic relations is far more advanced than that of non-symbiotic interactions. The biology of organelles has been analysed using optimised model systems which allow an efficient isolation of the respective endosymbionts and the genetic manipulation of the host cell. These experimental advantages have facilitated insights into basic cell biological principles of host-symbiont interaction. The program intends to combine expertises from different areas with the aim to transfer concepts and experimental strategies which were developed for optimised model systems to more complex systems characterised by non-symbiotic interactions.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes

Projects

• A coloured approach to study the dynamics and composition of organelles harboring intracellular pathogens such as Leishmania sp.. (Applicant Aebischer, Anton )
• Analysis parasite protein kinases particularly with regard to their role for host-parasite interaction (Applicant Wiese, Martin )
• AP-1 as the determinant of replicative and persistent intracellular C. pneumoniae infection (Applicant Rupp, Jan )
• Cell cycle control of secondary endosymbionts (Applicant Maier, Uwe Gallus )
• Characterisation and sub-cellular localisation of enzyme of the DOXP pathway in Plasmodium falciparum (Applicant Beck, Ewald )
• Characterisation and sub-cellular localisation of enzymes of the DOXP pathway inPlasmodium falciparum (Applicant Wiesner, Jochen )
• Characterisation of host cell genes which are pathogen specifically induced by Txoplasma gondii (Applicant Bohne, Wolfgang )
• Functional Characterization of Plasmodium Liver Stage Proteins at the Parasite/Host Interface (Applicant Matuschewski, Kai )
• Functional characterization of putative Fe-hydrogenase maturases from the hydrogenosomes of Trichomonas vaginalis (Applicant Henze, Katrin )
• Identification of essential host cell factors for the survival of the obligate intracellular apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii (Applicants Boutros, Michael ;  Meißner, Markus )
• Identification of proteins involved in the formation of Novel Permeation Pathways in the plasma membrane of the Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocyte (Applicant Lingelbach, Klaus )
• Identification of signals and factors facilitating transport of STEVOR to the Maurer`s clefts of Plasmodium falciparum (Applicant Lanzer, Michael )
• Identifikation und funktionelle Charakterisierung von Effektorproteinen des Typ III-Sekretionssystems von Chlamydia pneumoniae (Applicant Groß, Uwe )
• Impact of the Heat Shock Protein 100 on the Intracellular Survival of Leishmania Amastigote Stages (Applicant Clos, Joachim )
• In vivo function of the ferredoxin redox system in the plastid-derived organelle of parasitic apicomplexa (Applicant Seeber, Frank )
• Induction of apoptosis by the PorB porin of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: A paradigm for the evolution of programmed cell death (Applicant Rudel, Thomas )
• Induction of apoptosis by the PorB porin of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: A paradigm for the evolution of programmed cell death (Applicant Rassow, Joachim )
• Infection of endothelial progenitor cells with Bartonella henselae (Applicant Kempf, Volkhard A. J. )
• Interaction of Leishmania major parasites with dendritic cells: analysis of the mechanisms regulating vesicular trafficking (Applicant Moll, Heidrun )
• Interaction of pathogenic Rhodococcus equi with mammalian macrophages (Applicant Haas, Albert )
• Interactions between Salmonella enterica and its intracellular habitat (Applicant Hensel, Michael )
• Intracellular feeding of Plasmodium parasites: Characterization and inhibition of the interaction between falcipain-2 and hemoglobin (Applicant Hilgenfeld, Rolf )
• Intraphagosomally induced gene products of pathogenic mycobacteria with inhibitory effect on phagolysosome formation in eukaryotic cells (Applicant Plum, Georg )
• Ion channels and suicidal death of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (Applicant Huber, Stephan Michael )
• Koordination des SPP "Intrazelluläre Lebensformen" (Applicant Lingelbach, Klaus )
• Metabolic communication in secondary endosymbionts (Applicant Neuhaus, Ekkehard )
• Mitochondrial energy metabolism and its developmental regulation in Trypanosoma (Applicant Boshart, Michael )
• Molecular characterization of autophagosomes from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Applicant Thumm, Michael )
• Molekulare Grundlage der Biogenese der Parasitophoren Vakuole von Plasmodium falciparum (Applicant Leippe, Matthias )
• Protein trafficking mechanisms in the human malarial parasite P. falciparum (Applicant Przyborski, Jude Marek )
• Role of Listeriolysin (LLO) in Listeria monocytogenes-infected host cells (Applicant Domann, Eugen )
• Role of Listeriolysin (LLO) in Listeria monocytogenes-infected host cells (Applicant Chakraborty, Trinad )
• Structural requirements for protein transport across the vacuolar membrane of Plasmodium falciparum (Applicant Lingelbach, Klaus )
• Survival strategies of Plasmodium berghei exoerythrocytic forms (EEF) in hepatocytes (Applicant Heussler, Volker Theo )
• The role of lipids and glycolipids of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other pathogenic mycobacteria in phagosome maturation and intracellular survival (Applicant Schaible, Ulrich E. )
• Untersuchungen zur Rolle des GPI Transamidase Komplexes der intrazellulären Parasiten Toxoplasma gondii und Plasmodium falciparum (Applicant Schwarz, Ralph Thomas )
• Veränderungen der Expression von IFN-gamma-regulierten Wirtszellgenen nach Infektion mit Toxoplasma gondii: molekulare Mechanismen und funktionelle Bedeutung (Applicant Lüder, Carsten )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Klaus Lingelbach (†)