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Research Area C

C: Bacterial Communities and Host

Central question:

Which general principles are used by bacterial microbiome members and host cells to communicate and interfere with each other?

Aim

Antimicrobial host factors are critical for shaping the composition of the microbiome and individual differences in the expression of such factors contribute to microbiome dysfunction and diseases. Scientists in Research Area C will join forces to identify in human microbiomes host-produced bioactive molecules and metal-ions scavengers that restrict the growth of microorganisms.

They will then elucidate the effects of these compounds on bacterial fitness in host-specific habitats and on the dynamics of microbial communities in in vitro and in vivo microbiome model systems.  The impact of specific Microbial-Associated Molecular Patterns (MAMPs) and MAMP variants on the production of antimicrobial molecules and inflammatory mediators will be further investigated in gnotobiotic transgenic mice. The long term goal of Research Area C is to unravel principles of communication between microbiomes and hosts on a systemic level.

Principal Investigators

Portrait Effie Bastounis
Effie  Bastounis, PhD

University of Tübingen
Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine

effie.bastounis@uni-tuebingen.de
Website

Portrait Franz Baumdicker
Dr.  Franz  Baumdicker

University of Tübingen
Department of Computer Science

franz.baumdicker@uni-tuebingen.de
Website

Portrait Andreas Dräger
Jun.-Prof. Dr.  Andreas  Dräger

University of Tübingen
Institute for Biomedical Informatics
Computational Systems Biology

andreas.draeger@uni-tuebingen.de
Website

Portrait Simon Heilbronner
Dr.  Simon  Heilbronner

University of Tübingen
Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine
Infection Biology

simon.heilbronner@uni-tuebingen.de
Website

Portrait Arnaud  Kengmo-Tchoupa
Dr.  Arnaud  Kengmo-Tchoupa

University of Tübingen
Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine
Infection Biology

arnaud.kengmo-tchoupa@mnf.uni-tuebingen.de
Website

Portrait Ruth Ley
Prof.  Ruth  Ley, PhD

Deputy Spokesperson

Max Planck Institute for Biology
Managing Director
Department of Microbiome Science

ruth.ley@tuebingen.mpg.de
Website

Portrait Lisa Maier
Prof. Dr.  Lisa  Maier

University of Tübingen
Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine

l.maier@uni-tuebingen.de
Website

Portrait Silke Peters
Prof. Dr. med.  Silke  Peter

University of Tübingen
Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine

silke.peter@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Website

Portrait Hans-Georg Rammensee
Prof. Dr.  Hans-Georg  Rammensee

University of Tübingen
Institute of Cell Biology
Immunology

Website

Portrait Christoph Ratzke
Dr.  Christoph  Ratzke, PhD

University of Tübingen
Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine
Systems Biology of Microbial Communities

christoph.ratzke@cmfi.uni-tuebingen.de
Website

Portrait Alexander Weber
Prof. Dr.  Alexander  Weber

University of Tübingen
Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology
Department of Immunology

alexander.weber@uni-tuebingen.de
Website

Portrait Detlef Weigel
Prof. Dr.  Detlef  Weigel

Max Planck Institute for Biology
Molecular Biology

detlef.weigel@tuebingen.mpg.de
Website