Function of the Interaction between Enolase and von Willebrand Factor in Pneumococcus-induced Thrombogenesis

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Simone Bergmann
• Subject Area: Hematology, Oncology ; Parasitology and Biology of Tropical Infectious Disease Pathogens
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 269083642

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a human pathogenic able to cause local and systemic infections. Severe invasive infections like septicemia are often associated with enhanced formation of thrombi und contribute to an increased amount of severe coronary diseases like myocardial infarction. We already identified and characterized the surface-associated pneumococcal enolase as plasminogen binding protein and as fibrinolysis-promoting factor. Furthermore, preliminary work indicates the binding of procoagulative von Willebrand factor (vWF) to enolase. This project shall characterize the biochemistry of the enolase-vWF interaction to detail and elucidate the effects on the balance between thrombogenesis / coagulation and fibrinolysis. A further task will be to determine the effect of different shearforces, which will be generated by a microfluidic system, on pneumococcal-vWF-interaction and on adherence of platelets to endothelial cells. The gained data will deliver new findings about the effect of pneumococcal infections on the balance of coagulation in vasculature and will convey new targets to counteract against the progressive course of disease.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants