Publications since 2010

* shared first/senior authorship

Canadas-Ortega M, Mühlbacher I, Posselt G, Diechler S, Ferner CD, Boccellato F, Koch OO, Neureiter D, Weitzendorfer M, Emmanuel K, Wessler S. HtrA-dependent E-cadherin shedding impairs the epithelial barrier function of primary gastric epithelial cells derived from gastric organoids. Int J Mol Sci, 2024, 25, 7083.          

Hochvaldova L, Posselt G, Wessler S, Kvítek L, Panáček A. Implications of silver nanoparticles for H. pylori infection: Modulation of CagA functions and signaling. Front Cell Infect Microbiol, 2024, 14:1419568.

Amrutha MC, Wessler S, Ponnuraj K. Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes HtrA protease with Camostat, Gabexate and Nafamostat mesylates and the binding mode of the inhibitors. Protein J, 2023, 42:343-354. 

Frauenlob T, Neuper T, Regl C, Oswald AL, Schaepertoens V, Dang HH, Unger M, Huber C, Wessler S, Horejs-Hoeck J. Helicobacter pylori induces short term trained immunity in monocytes via accumulation of NF-кB proteins. Frontiers in Immunology, 2023, 14:1290833.     

Wessler S, Posselt G. Bacterial proteases in Helicobacter pylori infections and gastric diseases. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol, 2023, 444: 259-277.         

Alhayek A, Abdelsamie AS, Schönauer E, Camberlein V, Hutterer E, Posselt G, Serwanja J, Blöchl C, Huber C, Haupenthal J, Brandstetter H, Wessler S*, Hirsch AKH*. Discovery and Characterization of Synthesized and FDA-Approved Inhibitors of Clostridial and Bacillary Collagenases. J Med Chem, 2022, 65: 12933-12955.

Bernegger S, Hutterer E, Zarzecka U, Schmidt TP, Huemer M, Widlroither I, Posselt G, Skorko-Glonek J, Wessler S. E-cadherin orthologues as substrates for the serine protease High temperature requirement A (HtrA). Biomolecules, 2022, 12, 356.

Alhayek A, Khan ES, Schönauer E, Däinghaus T, Shafiei R, Voos K, Ducho C, Posselt G, Wessler S, Brandstetter H, Haupenthal J, Han M, del Campo A, Hirsch AKH. Disarming Bacillus cereus by inhibition of collagenase activity provides pathoblocker to treat skin wound infections. Adv Ther (Weinh), 2022, 2100222.          

Bernegger S, Jarzab M, Wessler S, Posselt G. Proteolytic landscapes in gastric pathology and cancerogenesis. Int J Mol Sci, 2022, 23: 2419.         

Bernegger S, Vidmar R, Fonovic M, Posselt G, Turk B, Wessler S. Identification of Desmoglein-2 as a novel target of Helicobacter pylori HtrA in epithelial cells. Cell Commun Signal, 2021, 19: 108.   

Diechler S, Chichirau BE, Posselt G, Sgouras D, Wessler S. Helicobacter pylori CagA EPIYA motif variations affect metabolic activity in B cells. Toxins, 2021, 13: 592.    

Deepthi R, Amrutha MC, Hutterer E, Wessler S, Ponnuraj K. High Temperature Requirement A (HtrA) protease of Listeria monocytogenes and its interaction with extracellular matrix molecules. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 2021, 368: fnab141.

Chichirau BE, Scheidt T, Diechler S, Neuper T, Huber C, Horejs-Hoeck J, Posselt G, Wessler S. Dissecting the Helicobacter pylori-regulated transcriptome of B cells. Pathog Dis, 2020, 78: ftaa049.

Sarajlic M, Neuper T, Vetter J, Schaller S, Klicznik M, Gratz I, Wessler S, Posselt G, Horejs-Hoeck J. H. pylori modulates DC functions via T4SS/TNFα/p38-dependent SOCS3 expression. Cell Commun Signal, 2020, 18: 160.

Müller AT, Posselt G, Gabernet G, Neuhaus C, Bachler S, Blatter M, Pfeiffer B, Hiss JA, Dittrich PS, Altmann KH, Wessler S, Schneider G. Morphing of Amphipathic Helices to Explore the Activity and Selectivity of Membranolytic Antimicrobial Peptides. Biochemistry, 2020, 59: 3772-3781.

Jarzab M, Posselt G, Meisner-Kober N, Wessler S. Helicobacter pylori-derived outer membrane vesicles (OMVs): role in bacterial pathogenesis? Microorganisms, 2020, 8: 1328.

Heimesaat MM, Schmidt A, Mousavi S, Escher U, Tegtmeyer N, Wessler S, Gadermaier G, Briza P, Hofreuter D, Bereswill S, Backert S. Peptidase PepP is a novel virulence factor of Campylobacter jejuni contributing to murine campylobacteriosis. Gut microbes, 2020, 12: 1770017.

Bernegger S, Brunner C, Vizovišek M, Fonovic M, Jarzab M, Cuciniello G, Giordano F, Stanojlovic V, Simister P, Feller SM, Obermeyer G, Posselt G, Turk B, Cabrele C, Schneider G, Wessler S. A novel FRET peptide assay reveals efficient Helicobacter pylori HtrA inhibition through zinc and copper binding. Sci Rep, 2020, 10: 10563.

Neuper T, Frauenlob T, Sarajlic M, Posselt G, Wessler S, Horejs-Hoeck J. TLR2, TLR4 and TLR10 Shape the Cytokine and Chemokine Release of H. pylori-Infected Human DCs. Int J Mol Sci, 2020, 21: 3897.

Abfalter CM, Bernegger S, Jarzab M, Posselt G, Ponnuraj K, Wessler S. The proteolytic activity of Listeria monocytogenes HtrA. BMC Microbiol, 2019, 19: 255.

Sgouras D, Tegtmeyer N, Wessler S. Activity and functional importance of Helicobacter pylori virulence factors. Adv Exp Med Biol, 2019, 1149: 35-56.

Chichirau BE, Diechler S, Posselt G, Wessler S. Tyrosine kinases in Helicobacter pylori infections and gastric cancer. Toxins, 2019, 11: 591.

Posselt G, Wiesauer M, Chichirau BE, Engler D, Krisch LM, Gadermaier G, Briza P, Schneider S, Boccellato F, Meyer TF, Hauser-Kronberger C, Neureiter D, Müller A, Wessler S. Helicobacter pylori-controlled c-Abl localization promotes cell migration and limits apoptosis. Cell Commun Signal, 2019, 17: 10.

Siemer S, Hahlbrock A, Vallet C, McClements DJ, Balszuweit J, Voskuhl J, Docter D, Wessler S, Knauer SK, Westmeier D, Stauber RH. Nanosized food additives impact beneficial and pathogenic bacteria in the human gut: A simulated gastrointestinal study. Npj Science of Food, 2018, 2: 22.

Westmeier D, Hahlbrock A, Reinhardt C, Fröhlich-Nowoisky J, Wessler S, Vallet C, Pöschl U, Knauer SK,  Stauber RH. Nanomaterial-microbe cross-talk: Physico-chemical principles and (patho)biological consequences. Chem Soc Rev, 2018, 47: 5312-5337.

Backert S, Bernegger S, Skórko-Glonek J, Wessler S. Extracellular HtrA serine proteases: an emerging new strategy in bacterial pathogenesis. Cell Microbiol, 2018, 20: e12845

Crabtree JE, Wessler S. Special Issue “H. pylori Virulence Factors in the Induction of Gastric Cancer”. Toxins, 2018, 10: E176.

Westmeier D, Posselt G, Hahlbrock A, Bartfeld S, Vallet C, Abfalter C, Docter D, Knauer SK, Wessler S, Stauber RH. Nanoparticle binding attenuates the pathobiology of cancer-associated Helicobacter pylori. Nanoscale, 2018, 10:1453-1463.

Wessler S, Backert S. A novel basolateral type IV secretion model for the CagA oncoprotein of Helicobacter pylori. Microb Cell, 2018, 5: 60-32.

Stutz K, Hiss JA, Müller AT, Hiss JA, Schneider P, Blatter M, Pfeiffer B, Posselt G, Kanfer G, Kornmann B, Wrede P, Altmann KH, Wessler S, Schneider G. Peptide-membrane interaction between targeting and lysis. ACS Chem Biol, 2017, 12: 2254-2259.

Tegtmeyer N, Wessler S, Necchi V, Rohde M, Harrer A, Rau TT, Asche CI, Böhm M, Loessner H, Figueiredo C, Naumann M, Palmisano R, Solcia E, Ricchi V, Backert S. Helicobacter pylori employs a unique basolateral type IV secretion mechanism for CagA delivery. Cell Host Microbe, 2017, 22: 552-560.

Pillong M, Hiss JA, Schneider P, Lin YC, Posselt G, Pfeiffer B, Blatter M, Müller AT, Bachler S, Neuhaus C, Dittrich P, Altmann KH, Wessler S, Schneider G. Rational design of self-assembling membrane-pore-forming peptides. Small, 2017, 13: 1701316.

McKenna O, Posselt G, Briza P, Lackner P, Schmitt A, Gadermaier G, Wessler S, Ferreira F. Multi-approach analysis for the identification of proteases within birch pollen. Int J Mol Sci, 2017, 18: 1433.

Feichtinger RG, Neureiter D, Skaria T, Wessler S, Cover TL, Mayr JA, Zimmermann FA, Posselt G, Sperl W, Kofler B. Oxidative phosphorylation system in gastric carcinomas and gastritis. Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2017, 2017: 1320241.

Wessler S, Aberger F, Hartmann T. The Sound of Tumor Cell-Microenvironment Communication – composed by the Cancer Cluster Salzburg Research Network. Cell Commun Signal, 2017, 15: 20.

Wessler S, Krisch LM, Elmer DP, Aberger F. From inflammation to gastric cancer – The importance of hedgehog/GLI signaling in Helicobacter pylori-induced chronic inflammatory and neoplastic diseases. Cell Commun Signal, 2017, 15: 15.

Posselt G, Crabtree JE, Wessler S. Proteolysis in Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric cancer. Toxins, 2017, 9: 134.

Backert S, Schmidt TP, Harrer A, Wessler S. Exploiting the epithelial barrier: Helicobacter pylori’s attack on tight and adherens junctions. In: Molecular pathogenesis and signal transduction by Helicobacter pylori. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol, 2017, 400:195-226.

Wessler S, Schneider G, Backert S. Bacterial serine protease HtrA as a promising new target for antimicrobial therapy? Cell Commun Signal, 2017, 15: 4.

Schneider P, Müller A, Gabernet G, Posselt G, Wessler S, Hiss JA, Schneider G. Hybrid Network Model for „Deep Learning“ of Chemical Data: Application to Antimicrobial Peptides. Mol Inform, 2017, 36: 1600011.

Müller AT, Kaymaz AC, Gabernet G, Posselt G, Wessler S, Hiss JA, Schneider G. Sparse neural network models of antimicrobial peptide-activity relationships. Mol Inform, 2016, 35: 606-614.

Abfalter CM, Schubert M, Götz C, Schmidt TP, Posselt G, Wessler S. HtrA-mediated E-cadherin cleavage is limited to DegP and DegQ homologs expressed by Gram-negative pathogens. Cell Commun Signal, 2016, 14: 30.

Abfalter CM, Schönauer E, Ponnuraj K, Huemer M, Gadermaier G, Regl C, Briza P, Ferreira F, Huber CG, Brandstetter H, Posselt G, Wessler S. Cloning, purification and characterization of the collagenase ColA expressed by Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579. PLoS ONE, 2016, 11: e0162433.

Krisch LM, Posselt G, Hammerl P, Wessler S. CagA phosphorylation in Helicobacter pylori-infected B cells is mediated by the non-receptor tyrosine kinases of the Src and Abl families. Infect Immun, 2016, 84: 2671-2680.

Schmidt TP, Götz C, Huemer M, Schneider G, Wessler S. Calcium binding protects E-cadherin from cleavage by Helicobacter pylori HtrA. Gut Pathog, 2016, 8:29.

Wessler S. Emerging Novel Virulence Factors of Helicobacter pylori. In: Helicobacter pylori Research: From Bench to Bedside. Edited by Backert S, Yamaoka Y. Tokyo: Springer Japan, 2016, 165-188.

Schmidt TP, Perna AM, Fugmann T, Böhm M, Hiss J, Haller S, Götz C, Tegtmeyer N, Hoy B, Rau TT, Neri D, Backert S, Schneider G, Wessler S. Identification of E-cadherin signature motifs functioning as cleavage sites for Helicobacter pylori HtrA. Sci Rep, 2016, 6: 23264.

Tegtmeyer N, Moodley Y, Yamaoka Y, Pernitzsch SR, Schmidt V, Traverso FR, Schmidt TP, Rad R, Yeoh KG, Bow H, Torres J, Sharma CM, Schneider G, Wessler S, Backert S. Characterization of worldwide Helicobacter pylori strains reveals genetic conservation and essentiality of serine protease HtrA. Mol Microbiol, 2016, 99: 925-944.

Hiss JA, Stutz K, Posselt G, Wessler S, Schneider G. Attractors in sequence space: Peptide morphing by directed simulated evolution. Mol Inform, 2015, 34: 709-714.

Perna AM, Rodrigues T, Schmidt TP, Böhm M, Stutz K, Reker D, Pfeiffer B, Altmann KH, Backert S, Wessler S, Schneider G. Fragment-based de novo design reveals a small molecule inhibitor of Helicobacter pylori HtrA. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl, 2015, 54: 10244-10248.

Abfalter CM, Schmidt TP, Wessler S. Proteolytic activities expressed by gastrointestinal pathogens Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes and Enterococcus faecium in different growth phases. Br Microbiol Res J, 2015, 7: 62-70.

Lin YC, Hiss JA, Schneider P, Thelesklaf P, Lim YF, Pillong M, Köhler FM, Dittrich PS, Halin C, Wessler S, Schneider G. Piloting the Membranolytic Activities of Peptides with a Self-organizing Map. ChemBioChem, 2014, 15: 2225-2231.

Perna AM, Reisen F, Schmidt TP, Geppert T, Pillong M, Weisel M, Hoy B, Simister PC, Feller SM, Wessler S, Schneider G. Inhibiting Helicobacter pylori HtrA protease by addressing a computationally predicted allosteric ligand binding site. Chem Sci, 2014, 5: 3583-3590.

Posselt G, Backert S, Wessler S. The functional interplay of Helicobacter pylori factors with gastric epithelial cells induces a multi-step process in pathogenesis. Cell Commun Signal, 2013, 11: 77.

Backert S, Böhm M, Wessler S, Tegtmeyer N. Transmigration route of Campylobacter jejuni across polarized intestinal epithelial cells: paracellular, transcellular or both? Cell Commun Signal, 2013, 11: 72.

Boehm M, Haenel I, Hoy B, Hendrixson D, Brøndsted L, Hoover T, Wessler S, Tegtmeyer N. Extracellular secretion of protease HtrA from Campylobacter jejuni is highly efficient and independent of its protease activity: investigation of culture media conditions, host cell lines and flagellar export genes. Eur J Microbiol Immunol, 2013, 3: 163-173.

Binai NA, Carra G, Löwer J, Löwer R, Wessler S. Differential gene expression in ERα-positive and ERα-negative breast cancer cells upon leptin stimulation. Endocrine, 2013, 44: 496-503.

Hoy B, Brandstetter H, Wessler S. The stability and activity of recombinant Helicobacter pylori HtrA under stress conditions. J Basic Microbiol, 2013, 53: 402-409.

Wagner W, Reuter A, Hüller P, Löwer J, Wessler S. Peroxiredoxin 6 promotes upregulation of the prion protein (PrP) in neuronal cells of prion-infected mice. Cell Commun Signal, 2012, 10: 38.

Rieder G, Krisch L, Fischer H, Kaufmann M, Maringer A, Wessler S. Carnobacterium divergens – a dominating bacterium of pork meat juice. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 2012, 332:122-130.

Boehm M, Hoy B, Rohde M, Tegtmeyer N, Baek KT, Oyarzabal OA, Brøndsted L, Wessler S, Backert S. Rapid paracellular transmigration of Campylobacter jejuni across polarized epithelial cells without affecting TER: role of proteolytic-active HtrA cleaving E-cadherin but not fibronectin. Gut Pathog, 2012, 4: 3.

Wiedemann T, Hofbaur S, Tegtmeyer N, Huber S, Sewald N, Wessler S, Backert S, Rieder G. Helicobacter pylori CagL dependent induction of gastrin expression via a novel αvβ5-integrin-integrin linked kinase signalling complex. Gut, 2012, 61: 986-996.

Hoy B, Geppert T, Boehm M, Reisen F, Plattner P, Gadermaier, Sewald N, Ferreira F, Briza P, Schneider G, Backert S, Wessler S. Distinct roles of HtrA proteases from different Gram-negative bacteria in cleaving the junctional protein and tumor suppressor E-cadherin. J Biol Chem, 2012, 287: 10115-10120.

Müller D, Tegtmeyer N, Brandt S, Yamaoka Y, de Poire E, Sgouras D, Wessler S, Torres J, Smolka A, Backert S. c-Src and c-Abl kinases control hierarchic phosphorylation and function of the Helicobacter pylori CagA effector protein in Western and East-Asian strains. J Clin Invest, 2012, 122: 1553-1566.

Klenner A, Hähnke V, Geppert T, Schneider P, Zettl H, Haller S, Rodrigues T, Reisen F, Hoy B, Schaible AM, Werz O, Wessler S, Schneider G. From virtual screening to bioactive compounds by visualizing and clustering of chemical space. Mol Inform, 2012, 31: 21-26.

Wessler S, Gimona M, Rieder G. Regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in Helicobacter pylori-induced migration and invasive growth of gastric epithelial cells. Cell Commun Signal, 2011, 9: 27.

Wessler S. Many ways of communication: From Helicobacter pylori adherence to death, disruption, migration and escape. Cell Commun Signal, 2011, 9: 24.

Tegtmeyer N, Wittelsberger R, Hartig R, Wessler S, Martinez-Quiles N, Backert S. Serine phosphorylation of cortactin controls focal adhesion kinase activity and cell scattering induced by Helicobacter pylori. Cell Host Microbe, 2011, 9: 520-531.

Schneider S, Carra G, Sahin U, Hoy B, Rieder G, Wessler S. Complex cellular responses of Helicobacter pylori-colonized gastric adenocarcinoma cells. Infect Immun, 2011, 79: 2362-2371.

Löwer M, Geppert T, Schneider P, Hoy B, Schneider G*, Wessler S*. Inhibitors of Helicobacter pylori Protease HtrA Found by ‘Virtual Ligand’ Screening Combat Bacterial Invasion of Epithelia. PLoS One, 2011, 6: e17986.

Geppert T, Hoy B, Wessler S, Schneider G. Context-based identification of protein-protein interfaces and ´hot-spot´ residues. Chem Biol, 2011, 18, 344-353.

Tegtmeyer N, Wessler S, Backert S. Role of the cag pathogenicity island encoded type IV secretion system in Helicobacter pylori pathogenesis. FEBS J, 2011, 278: 1190-1202.

Wessler S, Backert S. Abl Family of Tyrosine Kinases and Microbial Pathogenesis. Int Rev Cell Mol Biol, 2011, 286: 261- 300.

Wagner W, Ajuh P, Löwer J, Wessler S. Quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of prion-infected neuronal cells. Cell Commun Signal, 2010, 8: 28.

Hoy B, Löwer M, Weydig C, Carra G, Tegtmeyer N, Geppert T, Schröder P, Sewald N, Backert S, Schneider G, Wessler S. Helicobacter pylori HtrA is a new secreted virulence factor that cleaves E-cadherin to disrupt intercellular adhesion. EMBO Rep, 2010, 11: 798 – 804.

Binai NA, Damert A, Carra G, Steckelbroeck S, Löwer J, Löwer R, Wessler S. Expression of estrogen receptor alpha increases leptin-induced STAT3 activity in breast cancer cells. Int J Cancer, 2010, 127: 55-66.