Project Details
Projekt
Trafficking of the Coxiella burnetii-containing vacuole
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Anja Lührmann
Subject Area
Parasitology and Biology of Tropical Infectious Disease Pathogens
Term
from 2011 to 2018
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 198125636
Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative pathogen that causes Q-fever, a worldwide zoonotic disease. Q-fever is a mild flu-like illness, but can be associated with chronic or even fatal outcomes. Within macrophages Coxiella burnetii creates a large lysosomal-derived, acidic vacuole used for replication. Bacterial protein synthesis is required for the development of this compartment, but otherwise the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Coxiella encodes a type IV secretion system (T4SS). For other bacteria, like Legionella pneumophila, it was shown that the translocation of protein substrates into the host cell by the T4SS modulates the generation and composition of host cell vesicles. Here, we hypothesize that Coxiella injects proteins into the host cell via its T4SS which serve to reprogram and adjust the intracellular vesicular trafficking in order to establish infection. The goal of this study is (1) to determine the function of T4SS effector proteins and (2) to elucidate the role of the host cell proteins such as Rab20, LIMP2 and LAMP1/2 in the establishment of the Coxiella replicative vacuole. In the long run the project aims to define novel target structures for the pathogen-specific treatment of Coxiella infections.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
