Research Interests

The basic approach is to determine the functions of proteins, through the use genetic manipulation or interference with protein expression, by determining the effects of these manipulations on induction and maintenance of experimentally induced diseases. From these disease models, we are trying to establish basic principles that govern disease pathogenesis. The focus is on mouse models that mimic important human diseases like heart disease, autoimmune disease, and sepsis.

Autoimmunity

• Bachmaier, K, Krawczyk, C., Kozieradzki, I., Kong, Y. Y., Sasaki, T., Oliveira-dos-Santos, A., Mariathasan, S., Bouchard, D., Wakeham, A., Itie, A., Le, J., Ohashi, P. S., Sarosi, I., Nishina, H., Lipkowitz, S., and Penninger, J. M. (2000). Negative regulation of lymphocyte activation and autoimmunity by the molecular adaptor Cbl-b. Nature, 403(6766), 211-6.


• Krawczyk CM, Jones RG, Atfield A, Bachmaier K, Arya S, Odermatt B, Ohashi PS, Penninger JM. (2005) Differential Control of CD28-Regulated In Vivo Immunity by the E3 Ligase Cbl-b. J Immunol. 174:1472-8


• Jeon MS, Atfield A, Venuprasad K, Krawczyk C, Sarao R, Elly C, Yang C, Arya S, Bachmaier K, Su L, Bouchard D, Jones R, Gronski M, Ohashi P, Wada T, Bloom D, Fathman CG, Liu YC, Penninger JM. (2004). Essential Role of the E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Cbl-b in T Cell Anergy Induction. Immunity 21:167-77


• Krawczyk, C, Bachmaier, K, Sasaki, T, Jones, RG, Snapper, SB, Bouchard, D, Kozieradzki, I, Ohashi, PS, Alt, FW, Penninger, JM. (2000). Cbl-b Is a Negative Regulator of Receptor Clustering and Raft Aggregation in T Cells. Immunity. 13(4):463-473.

Heart disease

• Bachmaier, K., Neu, N., de la Maza, L. M., Pal, S., Hessel, A., and Penninger, J. M. (1999). Chlamydia infections and heart disease linked through antigenic mimicry [see comments]. Science, 283(5406), 1335-9.


• Bachmaier, K., Neu, N., Pummerer, C., Duncan, G. S., Mak, T. W., Matsuyama, T., and Penninger, J. M. (1997). iNOS expression and nitrotyrosine formation in the myocardium in response to inflammation is controlled by the interferon regulatory transcription factor 1. Circulation, 96(2), 585-91.


• Bachmaier, K., Pummerer, C., Kozieradzki, I., Pfeffer, K., Mak, T. W., Neu, N., and Penninger, J. M. (1997). Low-molecular-weight tumor necrosis factor receptor p55 controls induction of autoimmune heart disease [see comments]. Circulation, 95(3), 655-61.


• Eriksson, U., Hunziker, L., Kurrer, MO., Oudit, G., Watts, TH., Kopf, M, Bachmaier, K., Penninger, JM. (2003). Dendritic cell induced autoimmune heart failure requires cooperation between adaptive and innate immunity. Nat Med.; 9: 1484-1490.


• Eriksson, U., Kurrer, MO., Sonderegger, I., Iezzi, G., Tafuri, A., Hunziker, L., Suzuki, S., Bachmaier, K., Bingisser, RM., Penninger, J. M., Kopf, M. (2003). Activation of Dendritic Cells through the Interleukin 1 Receptor 1 Is Critical for the Induction of Autoimmune Myocarditis. J. Exp. Med. 197: 323-331.


• Bachmaier, K., Neu, N., Yeung, R. S., Mak, T. W., Liu, P., and Penninger, J. M. (1999). Generation of humanized mice susceptible to peptide-induced inflammatory heart disease. Circulation, 99(14), 1885-91.


• Pummerer, CL., Luze, K, Grassl, G, Bachmaier, K, Offner, F, Burrell, SK, Lenz, DM, Zamborelli, TJ, Penninger, JM, Neu, N. (1996). Identification of cardiac myosin peptides capable of inducing autoimmune myocarditis in BALB/c mice. J Clin Invest, 97(9), 2057-62.