The major goal of our research is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms how enteric pathogens interact with their host cells during infection and cause disease.
We mainly use enteropathogenic yersiniae as model organisms to study bacterial pathogenesis. We analyze binding to host cell receptors, activation of host cell signaling cascades and induction of actin cytoskeleton rearrangements in order to initiate invasion and transcytosis through epithelial cells and dissemination into deeper tissues and organs. We further investigate the structure and function of adhesion and invasion factors implicated in host- and tissue-specific colonization and immune evasion.
Current work also includes the analysis of virulence factor expression and function throughout the infection using different mouse model systems. We recently identified multiple regulatory factors and small regulatory RNAs involved in environmental control of Yersinia virulence genes and study how they coordinate expression of different pathogenicity factors with stress adaptation responses and metabolic processes (for more details see Research Interests).
Members of the department are located at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and the Technical University at Brunswick (see here); Petra Dersch has a joint appointment with the Technical University.