In their natural habitat microorganisms form a multi-organismic network. Relations between interacting members could be of commensal, mutualistic, symbiotic or parasitic nature. The underlying mechanisms of communication between organisms of various developmental levels are poorly understood. The outstanding microbiological community in Jena (Germany) will strengthen basic research in biological communication. The International Leibniz Research School for Microbial and Biomolecular Interactions starting February 2006 is open to graduates from biology, biochemistry, pharmacy and other life sciences. The program will cover the topics:

	Interactions between microorganisms
	Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Boland	Molecular principles stabilizing functional microbial communities in the insect gut
	Prof. Dr. Gabriele Diekert	Expression control and biosynthesis of dehalogenating enzymes from anaerobic soil bacteria in response to the interaction with aerobic halogenating fungi
	Prof. Dr. Christian Hertweck	Vertical and horizontal transmission of bacterial endosymbionts in fungi (Rhizopus)
	Dr. Uwe Horn	Expression of gene clusters of secondary metabolites by interaction with competing microorganisms
	Dr. Uwe Horn/ Prof. Dr. Dirk Hoffmeister	Natural products from an unidentified homobasidiomycete which control wood- deteriorating microorganisms
	Prof. Dr. Erika Kothe	Phermone response in the model basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune
	Prof. Dr. Johannes Wöstemeyer	Sexual and parasitic interactions in Mucor-like fungi: Regulation of genes for the communication molecule trisporic acid
		Interspecific communication in Mucor-like fungi
	Interactions of pathogenic microorganisms with hosts
	Prof. Dr. Ian T. Baldwin	Microbial mediation of plant-herbivore interactions
	Prof. Dr. Bernhard Hube	Fungal invasion of host cells (Candida)
		Transcriptional profiling and characterisation of Candida albicans infection-associated genes during host-pathogen interactions
	Dr. Olaf Kniemeyer	The hypoxic (low-oxygen) response of the pathogenic mould Aspergillus fumigatus and its relevance to pathogenicity
	Prof. Dr. Georg Pohnert	Influence of endophytic and associate microorganisms on the morphology and metabolome of siphonous green algae
		Unraveling the (bio)chemical processes involved in phytoplankton-virus interactions
	Prof. Dr. Konrad Reinhart/ PD Dr. Ralf A. Claus	Ceramide formation in host response to bacterial and fungal infection and development of organ failure
	Prof. Dr. Hanspeter Saluz	Molecular study of apoptotic processes in Aspergillus ssp.
		Acute and chronic Aspergillus infection in mice studied by PET-CT and comparative gene expression
	PD Dr. Christine Skerka	Characterization of novel human complement regulators for microbial immune evasion
	Prof. Dr. Gunter Wolf	Role of local Complement Regulators in the Kidney
	Prof. Dr. Peter F. Zipfel	Complement and immune - Evasion of pathogenic fungi
		Complement and Immune - Evasion of Pathogens
	Networks, interactions and their analysis
	Prof. Dr. Axel A. Brakhage	Activation of MAP kinase networks of Aspergillus fumigatus during the interaction of the fungus with the host
		Interference of the human pathogenic fungus Aspergilllus fumigatus with the phagocytosis by macrophages
	PD Dr. Reinhard Guthke	Prediction of Gene Regulatory Networks Involved in the Differentiation, Secondary Metabolism and Cross Talk of Aspergillus nidulans
	Prof. Dr. Maria Mittag	The response of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to environmental daily temperature cycles: Functional analysis of components of its signaling pathway
	Prof. Dr. Günter Theißen	Interactions and regulatory networking of MADS-domain transcription factors in model plants
		Tetramer formation of floral homeotic proteins in planta