Antimicrobial effects mediated by the regulation of the local tryptophan concentration: diverse effects mediated by different tryptophan degrading enzymes in mice and man

The aim of the project is the detailed molecular and biochemical characterization of indoleamine 2,3 – dioxygenase (IDO) and its paralogues IDO2, and TDO as central anti-microbial effector molecules in vitro and in vivo. It could be successfully shown that IDO is an important effector molecule whose activities are directed against parasites (Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum), bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis) and viruses (herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus). In the new funding period two lines of research will be followed, being the role of tryptophan depletion in antimicrobial defense in vivo and the determination of the function and specificity of chemical IDO inhibitors on parasite growth in vitro and in vivo.

Prof. Dr. med. Walter Däubener
Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf

TP4 in period 2007-2009

 

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