We are working on different aspects of bacterial pathogen/host cell interactions, e.g. on deciphering the cross talk between pathogens and their host cells at the molecular level. Our work focusses on the exploitation of the host-cell actin cytoskeleton by microbial pathogens, since the actin system is one of the prime targets that facilitate pathogen invasion into cells and dissemination within and between infected cells and tissues. The work was initially focussing on Listeria monocytogenes and has recently been expanded to Shigella flexneri and pathogenic E. coli (EPEC and EHEC). Current work also involves different approaches, including proteomics and live cell imaging, to decipher signalling cascades within host cells during attachment and invasion processes by different bacterial pathogens. Whereas the exploitation of the actin cytoskeleton by various pathogens has been intensively studied and has provided detailed insights not only into pathologic manifestations but also into fundamental cellular physiological processes, relatively little is know about the involvement / contribution of the microtubule system to/in bacterial pathogenecity, a research area, we are currently focussing on.
