Kafatos:Meister, Stephan

Stephan Meister

Education

• 2007-present Postdoctoral Fellow at the Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, USA
• 2005-2006      working at Imperial College, London, UK.
• 2001-2006      PhD student, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany.
• 1999-2000      visiting graduate student at Duke University, NC, USA.
• 1996-2001      Diplom Biol., University of Wuerzburg, Germany.

Research Interests

The role of PGRP proteins in innate immunity pathways in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae.

The Anopheles gambiae peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP) gene family consists of 7 genes with 13 PGRP domains. We analyze the role of these genes in the mosquito immune defense to bacteria and the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. We have previously shown that the NF-κB transcription factor REL2 is involved in defense against both types of bacteria and malaria parasites [1]. IMD is only responsible for the reaction against Gram-positive bacteria and Plasmodium. Our data suggests significant divergence as well as many similarities of immune signaling between Anopheles gambiae and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The differences most likely reflect the different lifestyles of the two insects and, consequently, different infectious agents that the two insects encounter during their lifetimes. In mosquitoes, one of these agents is the malaria parasite Plasmodium.

Conference posters

BioMalPar Conference, Heidelberg, Germany, 2006

BDV Course, Colorado, USA 2004

EMBO PRR Workshop, Trest by Prague 2003

Publications

1. Meister S, Kanzok SM, Zheng XL, Luna C, Li TR, Hoa NT, Clayton JR, White KP, Kafatos FC, Christophides GK, and Zheng L. Immune signaling pathways regulating bacterial and malaria parasite infection of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005 Aug 9; 102(32) 11420-5. doi:10.1073/pnas.0504950102 pmid:16076953. PubMed HubMed [meister2005]
2. Meister S, PhD Thesis, EMBL/University of Heidelberg, 2006.

   [phd2006]

3. Meister S, Koutsos AC, and Christophides GK. The Plasmodium parasite--a 'new' challenge for insect innate immunity. Int J Parasitol 2004 Dec; 34(13-14) 1473-82. doi:10.1016/j.ijpara.2004.10.004 pmid:15582524. PubMed HubMed [meister2004]
4. Kumar S, Christophides GK, Cantera R, Charles B, Han YS, Meister S, Dimopoulos G, Kafatos FC, and Barillas-Mury C. The role of reactive oxygen species on Plasmodium melanotic encapsulation in Anopheles gambiae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003 Nov 25; 100(24) 14139-44. doi:10.1073/pnas.2036262100 pmid:14623973. PubMed HubMed [kumar2003]
5. Christophides GK, Zdobnov E, Barillas-Mury C, Birney E, Blandin S, Blass C, Brey PT, Collins FH, Danielli A, Dimopoulos G, Hetru C, Hoa NT, Hoffmann JA, Kanzok SM, Letunic I, Levashina EA, Loukeris TG, Lycett G, Meister S, Michel K, Moita LF, Müller HM, Osta MA, Paskewitz SM, Reichhart JM, Rzhetsky A, Troxler L, Vernick KD, Vlachou D, Volz J, von Mering C, Xu J, Zheng L, Bork P, and Kafatos FC. Immunity-related genes and gene families in Anopheles gambiae. Science 2002 Oct 4; 298(5591) 159-65. doi:10.1126/science.1077136 pmid:12364793. PubMed HubMed [christoph2002]
6. Holt RA, Subramanian GM, Halpern A, Sutton GG, Charlab R, Nusskern DR, Wincker P, Clark AG, Ribeiro JM, Wides R, Salzberg SL, Loftus B, Yandell M, Majoros WH, Rusch DB, Lai Z, Kraft CL, Abril JF, Anthouard V, Arensburger P, Atkinson PW, Baden H, de Berardinis V, Baldwin D, Benes V, Biedler J, Blass C, Bolanos R, Boscus D, Barnstead M, Cai S, Center A, Chaturverdi K, Christophides GK, Chrystal MA, Clamp M, Cravchik A, Curwen V, Dana A, Delcher A, Dew I, Evans CA, Flanigan M, Grundschober-Freimoser A, Friedli L, Gu Z, Guan P, Guigo R, Hillenmeyer ME, Hladun SL, Hogan JR, Hong YS, Hoover J, Jaillon O, Ke Z, Kodira C, Kokoza E, Koutsos A, Letunic I, Levitsky A, Liang Y, Lin JJ, Lobo NF, Lopez JR, Malek JA, McIntosh TC, Meister S, Miller J, Mobarry C, Mongin E, Murphy SD, O'Brochta DA, Pfannkoch C, Qi R, Regier MA, Remington K, Shao H, Sharakhova MV, Sitter CD, Shetty J, Smith TJ, Strong R, Sun J, Thomasova D, Ton LQ, Topalis P, Tu Z, Unger MF, Walenz B, Wang A, Wang J, Wang M, Wang X, Woodford KJ, Wortman JR, Wu M, Yao A, Zdobnov EM, Zhang H, Zhao Q, Zhao S, Zhu SC, Zhimulev I, Coluzzi M, della Torre A, Roth CW, Louis C, Kalush F, Mural RJ, Myers EW, Adams MD, Smith HO, Broder S, Gardner MJ, Fraser CM, Birney E, Bork P, Brey PT, Venter JC, Weissenbach J, Kafatos FC, Collins FH, and Hoffman SL. The genome sequence of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. Science 2002 Oct 4; 298(5591) 129-49. doi:10.1126/science.1076181 pmid:12364791. PubMed HubMed [holt2002]
7. Dimopoulos G, Christophides GK, Meister S, Schultz J, White KP, Barillas-Mury C, and Kafatos FC. Genome expression analysis of Anopheles gambiae: responses to injury, bacterial challenge, and malaria infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2002 Jun 25; 99(13) 8814-9. doi:10.1073/pnas.092274999 pmid:12077297. PubMed HubMed [dimopoulos2002]
8. Dunipace L, Meister S, McNealy C, and Amrein H. Spatially restricted expression of candidate taste receptors in the Drosophila gustatory system. Curr Biol 2001 Jun 5; 11(11) 822-35. pmid:11516643. PubMed HubMed [dunipace2001]
9. Meister S, Diploma Thesis, University of Wuerzburg, 2001.

   [Diplom]

All Medline abstracts: PubMed HubMed