Project 1: “Prerequisites for successful S. aureus nasal colonization: Impact
of strain-specific features and of the nasal microenvironment”
Prof. Dr. med. K. Becker,
Co-investigators Dr med. B. Löffler, PD Dr. med. B. Kahl, Prof. Dr. med. G. Peters
Institute of Medical Microbiology
Co-investigator Prof. Dr. rer. nat. D.H. Pieper
Dept. of Microbial Pathogenesis, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Project 4: “Mechanisms of human skin to control the growth of S. aureus”
PD Dr. med. R. Gläser
Co-investigators Dr. Dr. med. U. Meyer-Hoffert, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. J. Harder
Dept. of Dermatology, Allergology and Venerology
Publikationen der Mitarbeiter seit 2009:
Gläser R, Meyer-Hoffert U, Harder J, Cordes J, Wittersheim M, Kobliakova J, FölsterHolst R, Proksch E, Schröder JM, Schwarz T (2009): The Antimicrobial Protein Psoriasin
(S100A7) Is Upregulated in Atopic Dermatitis and after Experimental Skin Barrier
Disruption. J Invest Dermatol 129: 641-649
Gläser R, Navid F, Schuller W, Jantschitsch C, Harder J, Schröder JM, Schwarz A,
Schwarz T (2009): Ultraviolet-B radiation induces the expression of antimicrobial
peptides in human keratinocytes in vitro and in vivo. J Allergy Clin Immunol 123:1117-23
Wu Z, Hansmann B, Meyer-Hoffert U, Gläser R, Schröder JM (2009): Molecular
Identification and Expression Analysis of Filaggrin-2, a Member of the S100 Fused-Type
Protein Family. PLoS One 4(4):e5227
Kantyka T, Latendorf T, Wiedow O, Bartels J, Gläser R, Dubin G, Schröder JM, Potempa
J, Meyer-Hoffert U (2009): Elafin is specifically inactivated by RGPB from
Porphyromonas gingivalis by distinct proteolytic cleavage. Biol Chem 390(12): 13131320.
Harder J, Dressel S, Wittersheim M, Cordes J, Meyer-Hoffert U, Mrowietz U, FölsterHolst R, Proksch E, Schröder JM, Schwarz T, Gläser R (2010): Enhanced expression
and secretion of antimicrobial peptides in atopic dermatitis and after superficial skin
injury. J Invest Dermatol;130(5):1355-64.
Dressel S, Harder J, Cordes J, Wittersheim M, Meyer-Hoffert U, Sunderkötter C, Gläser
R (2010): Differential expression of antimicrobial peptides in margins of chronic wounds.
Exp Dermatol 19(7):628-32
Abtin A, Eckhart L, Gläser R, Gmeiner R, Mildner M, Tschachler E (2010): The
Antimicrobial Heterodimer S100A8/S100A9 (Calprotectin) Is Upregulated by Bacterial
Flagellin in Human Epidermal Keratinocytes. J Invest Dermatol 130(10):2423-30.
Simanski M, Dressel S, Gläser R, Harder J (2010): RNase 7 protects healthy skin from
Staphylococcus aureus colonization. J Invest Dermatol 130(12):2836-8
Laudien M, Dressel S, Harder J, Gläser R (2011): Differential expression pattern of
antimicrobial peptides in nasal mucosa and secretion. Rhinology 49(1):107-11.
Garreis F, Gottschalt M, Schlorf T, Gläser R, Harder J, Worlitzsch D, Paulsen FP (2011):
Expression and regulation of antimicrobial peptide psoriasin (S100A7) at the ocular
surface and in the lacrimal apparatus. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci (epub 6 May)
Köten B, Becker K, Podschun R, von Eiff C, Harder J, Gläser R (2011): Susceptibility of
Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia strains to different epithelial antimicrobial proteins. J
Antimicrob Chemother (submitted)
M. Simanski, Köten B, Gläser, A. Peschel and J. Harder: Staphylococcus aureus
subverts cutaneous defense by d-alanylation of teichoic acids, Exp. Dermatol
(submitted)
Project 5: “Staphylococcal factors of interaction with antimicrobial peptides and binding
partners on epithelial and epidermal surfaces”
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. A. Peschel
Medical Microbiology and Hygiene Department, Tübingen
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. H.G. Sahl
Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Bonn
Sass, V., Pag, U., Tossi, A., Bierbaum, G., Sahl, H.G. (2008). Mode of action of human βdefensin 3 (hBD3) against Staphylococcus aureus and transcriptional analysis of responses
to defensin challenge. Int. J. Med. Microbiol. 298, 619-633.
Antcheva, N., Morgera, F., Creatti, L., Vaccari, L., Pag, U., Pacor, S., Shai, Y., Sahl, H.G,
Tossi, A. (2009). Artificial beta-defensin based on a minimal defensin template. Biochem. J.
421, 435-447.
Schneider, T. & Sahl, H.G (2010). An oldie but a goodie – cell wall biosynthesis as antibiotic
target pathway. Int. J. Med. Microbiol., 300, 161-169.
Schneider, T. & Sahl, H.G. (2010). Lipid II and other bactoprenol-bound cell wall
precursors as drug targets. Curr. Opin. Investig. 11, 157-164.
Sass, V., Schneider, T., Wilmes, M., Tossi, A., Novikova, N., Shamova, O. Sahl., H.G.
(2010). Human beta-defensin 3 (hBD3) inhibits staphylococcal cell wall biosynthesis. Infect.
Immun., 78:2793-800.
Schneider, T., Kruse, T. Wimmer, R., Wiedemann, I. Sass, V., Pag, U., Jansen, R., Nielsen,
A.K., Mygind, P.H., Neve, S., Ravn, B., de Maria, L., Sahl, H.G., Kristensen, H.H. (2010).
Plectasin, a fungal defensin antibiotic peptide, targets the bacterial cell precursor lipid II.
Science 328:1168-1172.
Schmitt, P., Wilmes, M., Pugniere, M., Aumelas, A. Bachere, E., Sahl, H.G., Schneider, T.,
Destoumieux Garzon, D. (2010). Insight into invertebrate defensisn mechanism of action:
oyster defensins inhibit peptidoglyca biosynthesis by binding to lipid II; J. Biol. Chem. 285:
29208-29216
Wilmes, M., Cammue, B. P., Sahl, H.G., Thevissen, K. (2011). Antibiotic activities of host
defense peptides: more to it than lipid bilayer perturbation. Nat Prod Rep.28:1350-1358
Project 6: “S. aureus extracellular adhesion protein (Eap) and the skin: Pathogenic insights
and ensuing strategies for prevention and treatment of cutaneous infection”
Prof. Dr. med. M. Herrmann
Institute of Medical Microbiology, Homburg
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. K.T Preissner
Institute of Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Giessen
Project 7: “Identification of genetic factors and immunological mechanisms underlying host
resistance / susceptibility to S. aureus in a mouse model of infection”
E. Medina, PhD
Co Investigator: Dr. Oliver Goldmann
Infection Immunology Research Group
Bisher aus dem Projekt hervorgegangene Publikationen:
Ziegler C, Goldmann O, Hobeika E, Geffers R, Peters G, Medina E. The dynamics of T cells
during persistent Staphylococcus aureus infection: from antigen-reactivity to in vivo anergy.
EMBO Mol Med. 2011; 3(11):652-66
Abel J, Goldmann O, Ziegler C, Höltje C, Smeltzer MS, Cheung AL, Bruhn D, Rohde M,
Medina E. Staphylococcus aureus evades the extracellular antimicrobial activity of mast cells
by promoting its own uptake. J Innate Immun. 2011; 3(5):495-507
(The Editors' Choice for issue 5/2011)
Tuchscherr L, Medina E, Hussain M, Völker W, Heitmann V, Niemann S, Holzinger D, Roth
J, Proctor RA, Becker K, Peters G, Löffler B. Staphylococcus aureus phenotype switching:
an effective bacterial strategy to escape host immune response and establish a chronic
infection. EMBO Mol Med. 2011; 3(3):129-41
Nippe N, Varga G, Holzinger D, Löffler B, Medina E, Becker K, Roth J, Ehrchen JM,
Sunderkötter C. Subcutaneous infection with S. aureus in mice reveals association of
resistance with influx of neutrophils and Th2 response. J Invest Dermatol. 2011; 131(1):125-
32.
von Köckritz-Blickwede M, Konrad S, Foster S, Gessner JE, Medina E. Protective role of
complement C5a in an experimental model of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. J Innate
Immun. 2010; 2(1):87-92.
von Köckritz-Blickwede M, Rohde M, Oehmcke S, Miller LS, Cheung AL, Herwald H, Foster
S, Medina E. Immunological mechanisms underlying the genetic predisposition to severe
Staphylococcus aureus infection in the mouse model. Am J Pathol. 2008; 173(6):1657-68.
(Faculty of 1000 Biology: evaluations for von Köckritz-Blickwede M et al Am J Pathol 2008
Dec 173 (6):1657-68 http://www.f1000biology.com/article/id/1157428/evaluation)