Work package #4

Work package #4: Infection Biology and Immune Defense (Department of Immunology)
WP leader: Prof. B. Broeker

The versatile bacterial species Staphylococcus aureus causes a broad range of diseases including lethal sepsis. By far most common are skin and soft tissue infections (STI). Neutrophil granulocytes are essential for bacterial clearance, and a number of staphylococcal virulence factors interfere with their function. In addition, the species S. aureus harbors superantigen genes and many other virulence genes that target the adaptive immune system. We propose that S. aureus manipulates the interface between innate and adaptive immunity to its advantage, especially by tuning the influence of T lymphocytes on neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages. To test this, the interplay between different modes of T cell activation and neutrophil recruitment, survival, activation and death will be studied in vitro and in vivo. Two-photon microscopy is ideally suited for the investigation of multicellular interactions in the skin.