Project description:spaA is a Cud-type transcription factor that is essential for spore cell differentiation of Dictyostelium discoideum, a social amoeba. ChIP-seq was performed to identify spaA target genes.
Project description:The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum is vulnerable to infection by the pathogen that causes Legionnaire's Disease, Legionella pneumophila. Dictystelium cells lacking the dual-specificity phospahatase DupA are at least partially resistant to infection, and strikingly the expression profile of uninfected dupA null cells mirrors the profile of infected wild-type cells to a considerable extent. This suggests that DupA has a key role in regulating host defence systems.
Project description:This project investigated the effect of Cln3-deficiency on protein secretion in the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum by performing LC-MS/MS on conditioned media harvested from starved WT and cln3- cells.
Project description:Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen, infecting immuno-compromised patients and causing persistent respiratory infections in people affected from cystic fibrosis. Pseudomonas strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 shows higher virulence than Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 in a wide range of hosts including insects, nematodes and plants but the precise cause of this difference is not fully understood. Little is known about the host response upon infection with Pseudomonas and whether or not transcription is being affected as a host defense mechanism or altered in the benefit of the pathogen. In this context the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum has been described as a suitable host to study virulence of Pseudomonas and other opportunistic pathogens.
