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University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics

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Joerg Koehl, MD

Appointment

Professor

Email

Joerg.Koehl@cchmc.org

Phone

513-636-1219

Fax

513-636-5355

Credentials

MD University of Mainz. Germany, 1988

Residency Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany

Certification Medical Microbiology, 1994

Fellow in Medicine (Pulmonology) Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany, 1991-92

Research Fellow in Medical Microbiology Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany, 1988-81

Research

The research program of Dr. Koehl focuses on the cross-talk between different arms of the innate immune system, and its impact on adaptive immunity. In particular, the lab is interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying the cross-talk between receptors for complement cleavage products C3a and C5a, IgG Fc receptors, and Toll-like receptors. Recent data obtained from this work demonstrate that the cross-talk between such pathways is of critical importance in the pathogenesis of immune complex disease, allergic asthma and infection with intracellular pathogens.

Research Grants and Contracts

  • R01 AI059305 (Köhl, J.) 12/15/2005-12/14/2009 Molecular regulation of immune complex disease
  • R21 AI59305 (Köhl J.) 03/15/2004-12/14/2004 Molecular regulation of immune complex disease
  • R01 AI057839 (KöhlJ.) 05/01/2004-04/30/2009 Complement in allergic asthma: The role of C3a and C5a
  • Translational Research Initiative (TRI) of Cincinnati Children's (Köhl J.), 07/01/2005-06/30/2007 The C5a receptor as a drug target in kidney transplantation

Publications, Most Recent

Soruri A., Kiafard Z., Dettmer C., Riggert J., Köhl J., Zwirner J. IL-4 down-regulates anaphylatoxin receptors on monocytes and dendritic cells and impairs anaphylatoxin-induced migration in vivo. 2003 J. Immunol. 170: 3306-3314

De Vries B., Köhl J., Leclerqc W., Wolfs T., Van Bijnen A., Heeringa P., Buurmann W. Complement factor C5a mediates renal ischemia reperfusion injury independent from neutrophils. 2003 J. Immunol., 170: 3883-3389.

Settmacher B., Reinheimer C., Hamacher H., A,es R., Wise A., Jenkinson L., Bock D., Schaefer M., Köhl J., Klos A.. Structure-function studies of the C3a-receptor: C-terminal serine and threonine residues which influence receptor internalization and signaling. 2003 Eur. J. Immunol., 33: 920-927.

Wills-Karp M., Köhl J., Karp C.L. Complement factor 5 and asthma. In: Therapeutic targets for airway inflammation: Ed. Eissa N.T., Huston D.P. Marcel Dekker, 2003, New York. Vol 177: 699-713.

Otto M., Hawlisch H., Monk. P.N., Mueller M., Klos A., Karp CL, Köhl J. C5a mutants are potent antagonists of the C5a receptor (CD88) and of C5L2: Position 69 is the locus that determines agonism or antagonism. 2004 J. Biol. Chem. 2004 279: 142.

Hawlisch H., Wills-Karp M., Karp C.L, and Köhl J. The complex roles of anaphylatoxins in allergic asthma and autoimmune diseases. In: Complement in Health and Disease, Ed. Janos Szebeni, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, 2004 pp. 315-344.

Hawlisch H., Wills-Karp M., Karp C.L, and Köhl J. The anaphylatoxins bridge innate and adaptive immune responses in allergic asthma. 2004 Mol. Immunol. 41: 123-31.

Godau J., Heller Y., Hawlisch H., Trappe M., Howells E., Best J., Zwirner J., Verbeek J.S., Hogarth PM., Gerard C., van Rooijen N., Klos A., J. Engelbert Gessner, and Köhl J. C5a initiates the inflammatory cascade in immune complex peritonitis. 2004 J. Immunol. 173: 3437-3445.

Bälder R., Bautsch W., Zwirner J., Köhl J., Hoymann H.G, Glaab T., Erpenbeck V., Fuchs B., Krug N., Braun A. Parmacological targeting of anaphylatoxin receptors during the effector phase of allergic asthma suppresses airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation. 2005 J. Immunol. 174:783-789.

Skokowa J, Ali S R, Felda O., Kumar V., Konrad S., Shushakova N., Schmidt R.E., Piekorz R., Nürnberg B., Spicher K., Birnbaumer L., Zwirner J., Claassens J.W.C., Verbeek J.S., van Rooijen N., Köhl J., and Gessner J.E. The macrophage C5a:C5aR-G i2-Fc RIIB/Fc RIII-axis defines the inflammatory response in the Arthus reaction 2005 J. Immunol. 174:3041-3050.

Hawlisch H., Belkaid Y., Bälder R., Hildeman, D., Köhl J.. C5a negatively regulates Toll-like receptor 4-induced immune responses. 2005 Immunity 22: 415-426.

Professional Organization Memberships

  • International Complement Society (Member of the Scientifc Program Committee)
  • American Association of Immunologists
  • German Society of Immunology
  • German Society of Hygiene and Microbiology

Service

Ad hoc reviewer for the following journals (alphabetical):

  1. FEBS Letters
  2. Immunobiology
  3. Infection & Immunity
  4. Kidney International
  5. Microbiology
  6. Molecular Immunology
  7. Nature Medicine
  8. Protein Science
  9. The Journal of Immunological Methods
  10. The Journal of Immunology

Special Interests

Complement Biology, Toll-like receptors, IgG Fc receptors

Recent Invited Lectures and Symposia

2005

  1. 10th European Meeting on Complement in Human Disease, Heidelberg, Germany, Invited Chair.
  2. C5a regulates type 2 adaptive immunity in allergic asthma. "3rd Workshop on Complement Associated Diseases, Animal Models, and Therapeutics" , Rhodes, Greece, Invited Speaker and Chair.

2004

  1. Complement 5a mutants as complement 5a receptor antagonists: from phage display to animal models. University of Maastricht, Department of General Surgery; The Netherlands. Invited Speaker.
  2. Assessing the progression of the inflammatory response in SIRS and sepsis: The value of measuring C3a, IL-6, and PCT. 6th World Congress on Trauma, Shock, Inflammation and Sepsis - Pathophysiology, Immune Consequences and Therapy, Symposium XXIV, Munich, Germany. 2004. Invited Speaker
  3. Complement 5a mutants as complement 5a receptor antagonists: from phage display to animal models. University of Frankfurt/Main, Department of Biochemistry, Germany. Invited Speaker.
  4. Complement in allergic asthma: Friend and Foe. Immunological colloquium series, Medical School Hannover, Germany. Invited Speaker.
  5. Cross-talk between complement and Toll-like receptors: complement 5a plays a crucial gatekeeper role in TLR-4 mediated regulation of adaptive immunity. 3rd International Conference on Innate Immunity, Crete, Greece. Invited Speaker and Chair.
  6. A critical role of C5a in the sensitization and the effector phase of experimental allergic asthma. XXth International Complement Workshop, Hawaii, USA, 2004. Invited Chair.

Related Areas

This person works in these other areas at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center: