Deutsch Intern
IMIB - INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR INFECTION BIOLOGY

Prof. Dr. A. Westermann

 

       RESEARCH TOPICS
 

  • RNA biology of anaerobic gut commensals​
     
  • Host-microbe interaction studies​
     
  • Advanced cross-species RNA-seq approaches​
     
  • Hypoxic tissue models for bacterial colonization

MODEL ORGANISMS

Research

Our intestinal tract offers an attractive environment for both beneficial and pathogenic bacteria. The beneficial bacteria of our microbiota feast on undigested foods and provide numerous health benefits. Enteric pathogens see this environment as an entry point for infection. Both groups influence each other, creating a tripartite interaction with us, the host. Understanding the regulatory processes that decide on the outcome of these encounters represents an emerging research area to combat infectious diseases. While the field has focused on protein-mediated processes, our group investigates the role of RNA-centric mechanisms in controlling microbial interactions in the gut.

Ryan D, Jenniches L, Reichardt S, Barquist L, Westermann AJ (2020)
A high-resolution transcriptome map identifies small RNA regulation of metabolism in the gut microbe Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.
Nature Communications 11(1):3557

Westermann AJ, Förstner KU, Amman F, Barquist L, Chao Y, Schulte LN, Müller L, Reinhardt R, Stadler PF, Vogel J (2016)
Dual RNA-seq unveils noncoding RNA functions in Salmonella-host interplay
Nature 529(7587):496-501

Stapels DAC, Hill PWS, Westermann AJ, Fisher R, Thurston TL, Saliba A-E, Blommestein I, Vogel J, Helaine S (2018)
Salmonella persisters undermine host immune defences during antibiotic treatment
Science 362(6419):1156-1160

Jiao C, Reckstadt C, König F, Homberger C, Yu J, Vogel J, Westermann AJ, Sharma CM, Beisel CL (2023)
RNA recording in single bacterial cells using reprogrammed tracrRNAs
Nature Biotechnology (Online ahead of print)

Schuster E-M, Epple MW, Bremser A, Lucht K, Zimmermann J, Polyzou A, Ballabio A, Trompouki E, Vogel J, Büscher J, Westermann AJ, Rambold AS (2022)
TFEB induces mitochondrial itaconate synthesis to suppress bacterial growth in macrophages.
Nature Metabolism 4(7):856-866

Publications chronological (pdf)

Jun Prof. Alexander Westermann

Group Leader
Institute of Molecular Infection Biology
Westermann Group
Building: D15
Room: 01.021
Phone: +49-931-31-83781
[Translate to Englisch:]

Elise Bornet

PhD Student
Institute of Molecular Infection Biology
Westermann Group
Building: D15
Room: 01.204

Taís Franco de Carvalho

PhD Student
Institute of Molecular Infection Biology
Westermann Group
Building: D15
Room: 01.204

Hoda Kooshapour

PhD Student
Institute of Molecular Infection Biology
Westermann Group
Building: D15
Room: 01.204

Gohar Mädler

PhD Student
Institute of Molecular Infection Biology
Westermann Group
Building: D15
Room: 01.204
Phone: +49-931-31-89155
[Translate to Englisch:]

Sarah Reichardt

Technician
Institute of Molecular Infection Biology
Westermann Group
Building: D15
Room: 01.204
Phone: +49-931-31-86586
[Translate to Englisch:]

Gianluca Prezza

PhD Student
Institute of Molecular Infection Biology
Westermann Group
Building: D15
Room: 01.204
Phone: +49-931-31-86586
[Translate to Englisch:]

Dr. Daniel Ryan

Postdoc
Institute of Molecular Infection Biology
Westermann Group
Building: D15
Room: 01.204
Phone: +49-931-31-89155
[Translate to Englisch:]

Ann Sophie Rüttiger

Institute of Molecular Infection Biology
Westermann Group
Building: D15
[Translate to Englisch:]