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Organ-on-chip models for infectious disease research.

Alonso-Roman R, Mosig AS, Figge MT, Papenfort K, Eggeling C, Schacher FH, Hube B, Gresnigt MS

Research on microbial pathogens has traditionally relied on animal and cell culture models to mimic infection processes in the host. Over recent years, developments in microfluidics and bioengineering have led to organ-on-chip (OoC) technologies. These microfluidic systems create conditions that are more physiologically relevant and can be considered humanized in vitro models. Here we review […]

Deep learning-based characterization of neutrophil activation phenotypes in ex vivo human Candida blood infections.

Sarkar A, Praetorius JP, Figge MT#

Early identification of human pathogens is crucial for the effective treatment of bloodstream infections to prevent sepsis. Since pathogens that are present in small numbers are usually difficult to detect directly, we hypothesize that the behavior of the immune cells that are present in large numbers may provide indirect evidence about the causative pathogen of […]

Modeling of intravenous caspofungin administration using an intestine-on-chip reveals altered Candida albicans microcolonies and pathogenicity.

Kaden T*, Alonso-Roman R*, Akbarimoghaddam P*, Mosig AS, Graf K, Raasch M, Hoffmann B, Figge MT#, Hube B#, Gresnigt MS#

Candida albicans is a commensal yeast of the human intestinal microbiota that, under predisposing conditions, can become pathogenic and cause life-threatening systemic infections (candidiasis). Fungal-host interactions during candidiasis are commonly studied using conventional 2D in vitro models, which have provided critical insights into the pathogenicity. However, microphysiological models with a higher biological complexity may be […]

The spatial organization of sphingofungin biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus and its cross-interaction with sphingolipid metabolism.

Jojić K*, Gherlone F*, Cseresnyés Z, Bissell AU, Hoefgen S, Hoffmann S, Huang Y, Janevska S, Figge MT, Valiante V

Sphingofungins are sphinganine analog mycotoxins acting as inhibitors of serine palmitoyl transferases, enzymes responsible for the first step in the sphingolipid biosynthesis. Eukaryotic cells are highly organized with various structures and organelles to facilitate cellular processes and chemical reactions, including the ones occurring as part of the secondary metabolism. We studied how sphingofungin biosynthesis is […]

The global RNA–RNA interactome of Klebsiella pneumoniae unveils a small RNA regulator of cell division.

Ruhland E, Siemers M*, Gerst R*, Späth F, Vogt LN, Figge MT, Papenfort K, Fröhlich KS#

The ubiquitous RNA chaperone Hfq is involved in the regulation of key biological processes in many species across the bacterial kingdom. In the opportunistic human pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae, deletion of the hfq gene affects the global transcriptome, virulence, and stress resistance; however, the ligands of the major RNA-binding protein in this species have remained elusive. […]

Nanobody-mediated neutralization of candidalysin prevents epithelial damage and inflammatory responses that drive vulvovaginal candidiasis pathogenesis.

Valentine M*, Rudolph P*, Dietschmann A, Tsavou A, Mogavero S, Lee S, Priest EL, Zhurgenbayeva G, Jablonowski N, Timme S, Eggeling C, Allert S, Dolk E, Naglik JR, Figge MT, Gresnigt MS*#, Hube B*#

Candida albicans can cause mucosal infections in humans. This includes oropharyngeal candidiasis, which is commonly observed in human immunodeficiency virus infected patients, and vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), which is the most frequent manifestation of candidiasis. Epithelial cell invasion by C. albicans hyphae is accompanied by the secretion of candidalysin, a peptide toxin that causes epithelial cell […]

Contribution of Radixin and Ezrin to the maintenance of hepatocytes’ excretory function in health and disease.

Dellbrügge F, Jesse LD, Medyukhina A, Liu N, Neugebauer S, Freißmuth M, Höppener S, Figge MT, Morrison H, Riecken LB, Press AT#

Background & aimsExcretory liver failure is frequently associated with poor prognosis in critically ill patients. It is characterized by the loss of canalicular membrane export pumps at the hepatocyte membrane. The membrane export pump Multidrug resistant-associated protein (MRP) 2 is pivotal in hepatocytes for brushed membrane morphology and transport of various metabolites. In addition, MRP2 […]

Hydrophilic cryogels as potential 3D cell culture materials: Synthesis and characterization of 2-(methacrylamido) glucopyranose-based polymer scaffolds.

Behrendt F, Pretzel D, Cseresnyés Z, Kleinsteuber M, Wloka T, Radosa L, Figge MT, Gottschaldt M, Brakhage AA, Schubert US#

Cell cultures are important techniques to investigate cellular processes in a simplified manner. The most commonly applied 2D models do not simulate most of the in vivo conditions whereas cryogels as promising 3D cell culture materials are able to provide both a structured microenvironment and tailored surface properties, similar to the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). […]

The role of pneumococcal extracellular vesicles on the pathophysiology of the kidney disease hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Battista M, Hoffmann B, Bachelot Y, Zimmermann L, Teuber L, Jost A, Linde S, Westermann M, Müller MM, Slevogt H, Hammerschmidt S, Figge MT, Vilhena C*#, Zipfel PF*#

Streptococcus pneumoniae-induced hemolytic uremic syndrome (Sp-HUS) is a kidney disease characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury. This disease is frequently underdiagnosed and its pathophysiology is poorly understood. In this work, we compared clinical strains, isolated from infant Sp-HUS patients, with a reference pathogenic strain D39, for host cytotoxicity and further explored […]

Evaluation of reproducible cryogel preparation based on automated image analysis using deep learning.

Behrendt F*, Cseresnyés Z*, Gerst R, Gottschaldt M, Figge MT#, Schubert US#

Cryogels represent a class of porous sponge-like materials possessing unique properties including high-fidelity reproduction of tissue structure and maximized permeability. Their architecture is mainly based on an interconnected network of macropores that provides sufficient stability whilst allowing the movement of substances through the material. In most cryogel applications, the pore size is very important, especially […]

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