Prof. Dr. sc. nat. Hubert Hilbi

Area of Research

Description of Research Interest

Research focuses on cell-cell communication, biofilm formation and pathogen-host interactions of Legionella and Mycobacterium species, which cause Legionnaires’ disease or tuberculosis, respectively. The facultative intracellular bacteria grow in mammalian phagocytes and free-living protozoa in distinct membrane-bound compartments termed pathogen vacuoles. To this end, the pathogens inject so-called “effector proteins” into the host cells, where they subvert pivotal components of eukaryotic signal transduction and membrane dynamics. Pathogen vacuole formation is a prerequisite to cause disease.
Using state-of-the-art methods in the fields of bacterial genetics, biochemistry and cell biology, we analyze bacterial small molecule cell-cell communication and biofilm growth, as well as pathogen vacuole formation in mammalian cells and amoebae such as Dictyostelium and Acanthamoeba. To this end, we focus on the L. pneumophila alpha-hydroxyketone signaling molecule LAI-1 and on bacterial effector proteins, which subvert host phosphoinositide lipids, small and large GTPases or components of the retrograde vesicle trafficking pathway.
An in-depth understanding of bacterial communication and pathogenesis will lead to novel therapeutics and/or allow a more efficient control of the pathogens in technical water systems. We also use the pathogen-amoeba infection system to screen for and assess the cellular mode of action of select antibiotic or antivirulence compounds.

Special Expertise

Bacteriology at biosafety level 2
Bacterial genetics
Confocal laser scanning microscopy with deconvolution
(Imaging) flow cytometry
Cell Biology of Infection

Member of Collaborative/interdisciplinary Research Consortia

EU ERA-NET InfectERA