Frontiers of Science: Staphylococcal Toxins and Bacterial Immune Evasion

Frontiers of Science (FoS seminar)

April 25th at 12:00 Presidentti Auditorium, Mauno Conference Center, BioCity Turku

Prof. Jos A.G. van Strijp, UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands

"Staphylococcal Toxins and Bacterial Immune Evasion"

Host: Outi Salo-Ahen (osalo@abo.fi)

Prof Jos A.G. van Strijp studied Biology in Utrecht, and performed his thesis on viruses complement and neutrophils. After that he moved to Rockefeller University NY (Steinman lab). Returned to Utrecht to start a group on innate immunity and bacteria and spent a year in Boston on Toll like receptors (Golenbock). The last 15 years the focus has been on Immune evasion by bacteria, especially Staphylococci. His lab discovered over 25 novel immunomodulating molecules, that all modulate the innate immune system, especially neutrophils and complement. Further he explores fundamental applications in both vaccination in infectious diseases as well as the use of these evasion molecules as anti-inflammatory therapeutics. Van Strijp is Editor of many journals in Microbiology, Infectious diseases and Immunology and a regular referee and panel member on major funding schemes throughout Europe. He has supervised 35 PhD students and 15 Postdocs, his current group is over 25 scientists. 
Van Strijp has organised and lectured many courses in Infectious diseases as well as in Immunology and is Director of the PhD and Master Programs Infection and Immunity (188 PhD students).

Selected publications 1: Tromp AT, Van Gent M, Abrial P, Martin A, Jansen JP, De Haas CJC, Van Kessel KPM, Bardoel BW, Kruse E, Bourdonnay E, Boettcher M, McManus MT, Day CJ, Jennings MP, Lina G, Vandenesch F, Van Strijp JAG, Lebbink RJ, Haas PA, Henry T, Spaan AN. Human CD45 is an F-component-specific receptor for the staphylococcal toxin Panton-Valentine leukocidin. Nat Microbiol. 2018 Jun;3(6):708-717.

2: de Jong NWM, Ramyar KX, Guerra FE, Nijland R, Fevre C, Voyich JM, McCarthy AJ, Garcia BL, van Kessel KPM, van Strijp JAG, Geisbrecht BV, Haas PA. Immune evasion by a staphylococcal inhibitor of myeloperoxidase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Aug 29;114(35):9439-9444.

3: Spaan AN, van Strijp JAG, Torres VJ. Leukocidins: staphylococcal bi-component pore-forming toxins find their receptors. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2017 Jul;15(7):435-447.

4: Koymans KJ, Feitsma LJ, Brondijk TH, Aerts PC, Lukkien E, Lössl P, van Kessel KP, de Haas CJ, van Strijp JA, Huizinga EG. Structural basis for inhibition of TLR2 by staphylococcal superantigen-like protein 3 (SSL3). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Sep 1;112(35):11018-23.

5: Spaan AN, Vrieling M, Wallet P, Badiou C, Reyes-Robles T, Ohneck EA, Benito Y, de Haas CJ, Day CJ, Jennings MP, Lina G, Vandenesch F, van Kessel KP, Torres VJ, van Strijp JA, Henry T. The staphylococcal toxins γ-haemolysin AB and CB differentially target phagocytes by employing specific chemokine receptors. Nat Commun. 2014 Nov 11;5:5438.