About
In the context of the Swiss consortium InfectX (www.infectx.ch), we have previously performed siRNA, microRNA and drug screens to investigate signaling pathways modulating invasion of host cells by the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. In a first consortium study, based on results from drug and siRNA screens targeting the human kinome, we identified major kinases which up- or down-regulate cell invasion by L. monocytogenes and by 7 additional bacterial and viral pathogens (Rämö et al. 2014). Subsequently, a siRNA genome-wide screen allowed us to revisit and redefine the role of cytoskeletal complexes required for L. monocytogenes cellular invasion and actin-based motility (Kühbacher et al. 2015). These different projects have generated vast amounts of data which have been until now only independently analyzed. However, this information can now be exploited from a systems biology perspective to identify hidden connections between relevant signaling cascades and gene networks which should highlight novel cellular functions exploited by pathogens in the context of infection.
