Modulation of inflammatory response by defined microbiota

(Doctoral study in Biomedicine – specialization in Immunology (Faculty of Nature, Charles University))

Toll-like (TLR) receptors are cell receptors recognizing various molecular structured characteristics for microorganisms.

The student will be interested in innate immune response within his/her doctoral study, i.e., inflammatory reaction provoked by enteric pathogens Salmonella Typhimurium and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. The thesis will evaluate a possible modulation of exaggerating innate immune response (sepsis) by defined microbiota composed of commensal and probiotic bacteria. The induction of inflammatory response will be monitored by expression of TLR 2, 4, 5, and 9 and their related molecules (MD-2, MyD88, TRIF, LBP, CD14), inflammatory cytokines (IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL8, IL-10., IL-12, IL-18, IL23, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma), and histopathological changes in an experimental gnotobiotic piglet model.

The student will use cell cultures (mammalian and bacterial), qPCR (RNA purification, cDNA synthesis, Real-Time PCR), Western blot, histology, immunohistochemistry, hemocytometry, and xMAP technology (Luminex). The work will be in the framework of the grant by the Czech Science Foundation. It allows an increase of a scholarship.

Our last publication: https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9020183

List of other publications: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3665-1377

Location Laboratory of Gnotobiology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Doly 183, Nový Hrádek.

Deadline for applications April 30, 2021

Contact I. Šplíchal, splichal@biomed.cas.cz, +420 491 418 539 or +420 776 686 691