Katrin Volling

Personal Data:
Country of Origin: Germany
Start of PhD: March 2006

PhD Project:
Molecular study of apoptotic processes in Aspergillus ssp. and the influence of Aspergillus fumigatus on apoptosis in host immune effector cells”

Abstract:
Previous results suggest that some potent fungicidals induce a type of apoptosis in A. nidulans similar to the caspase-independent apoptosis observed in mammalian systems. Therefore, we aim at the molecular elucidation of such events in Aspergillus ssp. using most modern technologies like parallel Rapid PCR, chip/array approaches or MALDI-TOF/TOF and others. Furthermore, we plan to investigate molecular mechanisms of how Aspergillus fumigatus suppresses the human cellular immune response via apoptosis of immune effector cells.

Publications:

• Volling K, Brakhage AA, Saluz HP (2007) Apoptosis inhibition of alveolar macrophages upon interaction with conidia of Aspergillus fumigatus. FEMS Microbiol Lett 275(2), 250-254.