SPP 2493:  Heterotypic Cell-Cell Interactions in Epithelial Tissues (HetCCI)

• Subject Area: Biology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 540881923

The development and viability of complex organisms rely on barrier, absorption, secretion and sensory functions provided by the epithelial tissues of organs such as the skin, lungs or gut. In these tissues, epithelial cells interact closely with different cells of non-epithelial lineages (e.g. neurons, melanocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells) and with resident immune cells (e.g. macrophages, resident T cells). These interactions are critical for building and maintaining healthy organs with dynamic response states. However, while our understanding of homotypic signalling processes between epithelial cells is steadily growing, the molecular basis and functional consequences of such heterotypic cell-cell interactions remain poorly understood. Research within the new SPP 2493 will delineate how epithelial cells interact and communicate with neighbouring non-epithelial cell types to create, maintain and regenerate functional epithelial tissues. SPP 2493 projects will assess one (or more) of the three key focus areas: 1) epithelial-immune cell interactions, 2) epithelial-neuronal interactions, 3) epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. They further aim to uncover the molecules and/or signals that underly direct heterotypic cell-cell interactions in epithelial tissues, and to reveal the developmental, physiological or pathological relevance of heterotypic communication

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes

Projects

• Altersbedingte Veränderungen der Epithel- und T-Zell-Interaktion beeinträchtigen die Regenerationsfähigkeit der Lunge (Applicants Funk, Maja ;  Lehmann, Mareike )
• Coordination Funds (Applicant Iden, Sandra )
• Dissecting epithelial-immune cell interactions in Drosophila wounding (Applicant Bogdan, Sven )
• Establishment and function of interactions between neurons and secretory cells in the mucociliary epidermis of Xenopus (Applicant Walentek, Peter )
• Gut formation through the heterotypic interaction of epithelial foregut and mesenchymal midgut precursor cells (Applicants Großhans, Jörg ;  Wolf, Fred )
• Heterologous cell-cell interactions at the embryo-maternal interface during implantation (Applicant Bedzhov, Ivan )
• Heterologous interactions between the follicle epithelium and germline cells - Self-organization of egg chamber morphogenesis in the Drosophila ovary (Applicants Classen, Anne-Kathrin ;  Dondl, Patrick )
• Heterotypic cell-cell interactions in intestinal epithelial cell state evolution during tissue homeostasis and cancer onset (Applicant Miroshnikova, Ph.D., Yekaterina )
• Heterotypic Immune-Epithelial Interactions Shape Drosophila Wing Morphogenesis (Applicants Galic, Milos ;  Matis, Maja )
• Impact of developmental programming by maternal obesity on alveolar macrophage-epithelial cell interactions in lung development and function (Applicants Mass, Elvira ;  Vazquez-Armendariz, Ana )
• Interactions Between Macrophages and Lung Epithelia: Mechanical Properties of Cellular Contacts and Implications for Collective Dynamics (Applicants Enderlein, Jörg ;  Janshoff, Andreas )
• Mechanical stretch of alveolar epithelia induces heterotypic activation of alveolar macrophages (Applicant Frick, Manfred )
• Molecular insights into direct epithelial-immune-neuronal interactions in the epidermis (Applicant Iden, Sandra )
• Molecular mechanisms and functional relevance of neuroepithelial circuit formation in the intestine (Applicant Worzfeld, Thomas )
• Tissue-specific mechanisms of interaction between intraepithelial mast cells and epithelial cells and their relevance in mucosal barrier function in homeostasis and inflammation (Applicants Boehme, Julia Désirée ;  Dudeck, Anne )
• Tuft cell-neuronal communication in the respiratory system (Applicant Krasteva-Christ, Gabriela )

• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Sandra Iden