Karla Bosse-Plois

PhD Student

 

 

Hospital and Environmental Hygiene
Institute of Hygiene
Robert-Koch-Str. 41
D-48149 Münster, Germany
Tel.: +49 251 83-59965

karla.bosseplois@ukmuenster.de

Education

  • Since 2024:
    PhD studies in the Hospital and Environmental Hygiene Group, Institute of Hygiene, University Hospital Münster, Germany
  • 2020-2023:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Microbiology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Germany.
  • 2016-2020
    Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biology, University of Cologne, Germany.                                                                                                                      

Work experience

  • 2022-2023
    Scientific assistant in the care of laboratory animals, Bonn University Hospital, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology
  • 2023
    Scientific assistant in accounting, Bonn University Hospital, Institute for Pathology

Supervisors

  • Prof. Dr. Alexander Mellmann, Hospital and Environmental Hygiene Group, Institute for Hygiene, University Hospital Münster, Germany
  • Prof. Dr. Stefan Ludwig, Molecular Infection Biology Group, Institute of Virology, University of Münster, Germany
  • Prof. Dr. Petra Dersch, Molecular Infection Biology Group, Institute of Infectiology, University of Münster, Germany

Research interests

  • Biology of host-pathogen interactions
  • Genome plasticity
  • Impact of environmental pressures on EHEC

PhD project description

Escherichia coli is a common intestinal commensal but can also cause serious disease. The 2011 EHEC O104:H4 outbreak caused nearly 4,000 gastroenteritis cases, an exceedingly high rate of haemolytic uraemic syndrome in adults, and 54 deaths.

This project investigates how variations in rpoS, the gene encoding the general stress-response sigma factor RpoS, affect E. coli O104:H4 virulence, stress adaptation, and fitness in both genotype and phenotype. Furthermore, the protein sequence of a strain carrying a ATG > ATA start codon mutation will be investigated, to determine how the start codon drives RpoS production, using YFP reporter fusions, flow cytometry, in vitro transcription assays, and mass spectrometry. Lastly, we will revisit our EHEC isolate library by whole-genome sequencing and further identify rpoS variation among patient isolates and define their global impact on gene expression.

Publications

Hansen P, Haubenthal T, Reiter C, Kniewel J, Bosse-Plois K, Niemann HH, von Bargen K, Haas A. 2023. Differential Effects of Rhodococcus equi Virulence-Associated Proteins on Macrophages and Artificial Lipid Membranes. Microbiol Spectr 11:e03417-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.03417-22