microscopic image
© Sampurna Chakrabarti
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Pathways in Infection and Nociception

Bacterial and Viral Pathogens
HZI Campus
Junior group
Research group of the HZI

Pathogens interact with our nerves directly and indirectly during infection, causing nervous system dysfunction. Many viruses, including varicella zoster and herpes simplex, remain latent in sensory neurons throughout our lives, sporadically resurfacing to cause pain and itch. Sampurna Chakrabarti and her team seek to understand the host–pathogen interactive mechanisms leading to pain by combining functional and proteomic signatures at the single-neuron level.

Dr Sampurna Chakrabarti

Head

Dr Sampurna Chakrabarti
Research Group Leader
+49 531 6181-2920

Our Research

microscopic image
© Sampurna Chakrabarti
Mouse sensory neurons stained with P2x3 (magenta) and CGRP (cyan). Highlighting the two different subtypes of pain-sensing neurons with contours for further downstream processing in proteomics workflow. Scale = 20 µm.

Infectious diseases pose a major threat to human health, as highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pain, a protective mechanism signaling harm, is often associated with infections either directly or through immune-mediated pathways. Pain commonly arises from hyperactivity in peripheral nerves, particularly small-to-medium sensory neurons (nociceptors) located in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Inflammatory mediators released during infection activate nociceptors and trigger pain. For example, myalgia was a prominent symptom of COVID-19 and increased the risk of chronic pain. Herpes simplex viruses (HSV), on the other hand, are neurotropic and induce pain directly through mechanisms that remain unclear. HSV-1 infects an estimated 3.8 billion people globally and causes painful oral blisters. Varicella zoster virus, following chickenpox, remains latent in DRGs and reactivates as shingles in about 30 per cent of people. Shingles leads to painful skin rashes, with many patients developing post-herpetic neuralgia—a condition poorly managed by current therapies. Understanding pain pathways in infection biology is critical but remains severely understudied.

Sampurna Chakrabarti polishing a glass pipette looking through a microscope
© Felix Petermann
Sampurna Chakrabarti polishing a glass pipette looking through a microscope

Our research leverages cutting-edge electrophysiology, ultra-sensitive proteomics, behavioral phenotyping, and cell culture methodology to investigate the following:

  1. We have recently mapped the subset-specific proteome of mouse sensory neurons. Since proteins relate directly to function, we now ask: how does this diversity shape responses to pathogens using a variety of mouse models? Which subsets of sensory neurons are susceptible to viral infections, and why? Is the host response viral strain–specific?
  2. We will develop novel behavioral pipelines capable of assessing non-evoked mouse pain and itch behavior in response to pathogens, as well as following analgesic applications.
  3. We will define the functional and proteomic diversity of human sensory neuron subtypes to identify molecules with a higher chance of clinical success.

Our vision is to pioneer the field of “nocifection”; to generate a comprehensive mechanistic understanding of pain during infections, with an emphasis on viral infections.

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