HoT-Aim 2.0 - High-end optical technologies for the analysis of intracellular membrane affecting infection processes

The project HoT-AiM 2.0 combines (bio-)molecular methods with high-resolution microscopy to understand infection processes by human pathogenic fungi. In particular, such human pathogenic fungi play an important role as pathogens in immunosuppressed patients. At the same time, both the diagnosis of life-threatening invasive fungal infections and their therapy are currently unsatisfactory. The lethality rate is therefore correspondingly high, depending on the patient population and fungal pathogen. There are now many indications that membrane changes caused by pathogens represent a widespread pathogenicity or immunevasion mechanism. The associated dynamic structural changes of membranes in both host and fungal cells have not yet been understood and cannot be investigated with the required spatial resolution  using current technologies.
The aim of HoT-AiM 2.0 is to investigate infectious processes, such as pore formation, down to the molecular level in the range of a few nanometers, using genetically accessible model fungal systems and model membranes in controllable environments. To this end, correlative microscopy technologies are being developed that enable dynamic structure elucidation combined with the corresponding membrane properties in the smallest dimensions.

Participating Scientists

Prof. Dr. Volker Deckert

Prof. Dr. Volker Deckert

Project Coordinator

Leibniz-IPHT • Nanoscopy

volker.deckert@leibniz-ipht.de

http://www.ters.uni-jena.de/

Prof. Dr. Rainer Heintzmann

Prof. Dr. Rainer Heintzmann

Principal Investigator

Leibniz-IPHT • Microscopy

rainer.heintzmann@ipht-jena.de

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Hube

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Hube

Principal Investigator

Leibniz-HKI • Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms

bernhard.hube@leibniz-hki.de

Prof. Dr. Erika Kothe

Prof. Dr. Erika Kothe

Principal Investigator

FSU • Microbial Communication

erika.kothe@uni-jena.de

Alexander Jügler

Alexander Jügler

Doctoral student

Leibniz-IPHT • Microscopy

alexander.juegler@leibniz-ipht.de

Annika König

Annika König

Doctoral student

Leibniz-HKI • Mikrobial Pathogenicity Mechanisms

annika.koenig@leibniz-hki.de

Berit Frizzy Porsche

Berit Frizzy Porsche

Doctoral student

FSU • Mikrobial Communication

Xiaobin Yao

Xiaobin Yao

Doctoral student

Leibniz-IPHT • Nanoscopy

xiaobin.yao@leibniz-ipht.de