School of Science and Technology

Nazarbayev University / School of Science and Technology / Biology / Timo Burster

Timo Burster

Department
School of Science and Technology, National Laboratory Astana, Laboratory of bioinformatics and computational systems biology, Immunobiology Laboratory, Biology
Title
Associate professor
Office
7.247
Email
timo.burster@nu.edu.kz
Phone
+7-7172-70-6675

Timo Burster, PhD

1. Degrees and education

11/10                         Teaching qualification: Venia legendi (Habilitation) in Experimental Medicine, University Medical Center Ulm, Germany

03/04 to 03/06         Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

01/01 to 12/03         Ph.D., Immunology, University of Tübingen, Germany

1997 to 2000            M.S. (Diplom) in Biology, University of Tübingen, Germany

1993 to 1997            B.S. (Vordiplom) in Biology, University of Freiburg, Germany

2. Research experience and previous employment

01/18 to present      Associate Professor

Dept. Biology, School of Science and Technology, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan

Immunology, Tumor Immunology

09/13 to 12/17          Laboratory Head

Principle Investigator, Dept. Neurosurgery, Ulm University Medical Centre, Ulm, Germany

Tumor Immunology

11/13 to 09/16          Visiting Professor

Humboldt Award, Poland/Germany, Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland

Immunology, Immunosenescence

10/12 to 06/13          Visiting Professor

Dept. Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland and Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland, stipend DAAD

Immunology

07/11 to present      Extraordinary Member of the University Medical Center Ulm (Habilitation, Privatdozent), Ulm University, Ulm, Germany

Experimental Medicine

10/06 to 06/11          Team Leader

Dept. Internal Medicine I, University Medical Center Ulm, Ulm, Germany,

Autoimmunity

03/04 to 03/06          Postdoctoral Research Fellow, stipend DFG

Division of Pediatric Immunology and Transplantation Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

Immunology, Biochemistry   

01/01 to 12/03          Ph.D.

Medical and Natural Sciences Research Center (MNF), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

Immunology, Autoimmunity

05/00 to 12/00          M.S. (Diplom) in Biology

Medical and Natural Sciences Research Center (MNF), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

12/98 to 03/00          Scientific Assistant

Max-Planck-Institute for Developmental Biology (MPI), Tübingen, Germany

Axon guidance

 

3. Description of research activities

3.1. Immunosenescence

Aging is associated with a decreased functional immune response known as immunosenescence. Increased susceptibility to autoimmunity, neurodegeneration, infectious diseases, cardiovascular pathologies, and cancer is found in elderly persons resulting in higher mortality. Although aged-related immunity is declined, high levels of cytokines, increased inflammation, and imbalanced protease-activity are found in elderly persons, which on the downside can cause harm. A precise understanding of how proteases are involved in aging is needed to interfere with a reduced immune response. With this in mind, our specific protease inhibitors might have the potential as immunomodulators to restore an imbalance of protease activity in aged-related diseases. Furthermore, we are interested in applying immunomodulators, for instance natural food-derived peptides, which might be beneficial to reverse or at least delay immunosenescence. The expected results will also provide an insight in immune cell function by comparing immune cells from aged vs. non-aged donors. Indeed, we can learn general immune functions by evaluating an impaired immune system found in elderly compared to their younger counterparts.

3.2. Tumorigenesis

Cathepsins have a dual role in tumor cell development. In some circumstances, extracellular cathepsins can promote the development of tumors, in contrast to intracellular cathepsins, which are important in apoptosis, can prevent the survival of tumor cells. Cathepsin B and X are upregulated in distinct tumor cells. Moreover, cathepsins and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) promote tumor progression and metastasis. Therefore, the regulation and function of cathepsins during the process of tumor development and immune escape are determined in our laboratory. Thereby, we are focusing on antigen processing and presentation in the context of CD8+ T cell activation in a process known as cross presentation/priming. The resulting data allow the development of potent anti-tumor strategies, for instance, the use of specific cathepsin-inhibitors.

3.3. Proteolytic regulation of MHC molecules

HIV, for instance, inhibits maturation of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II), which is necessarily associated with the Ii processing and cell surface levels of MHC II molecules. Furthermore, the protease involved in proteolytic regulation of MHC I molecules needs to be investigated, particularly towards the process of recycling. We found that there serine protease cathepsin G is responsible for the proteolytic regulation of MHC I molecules, suggesting that there is a correlation between levels of MHC molecules and HIV-mediated protease regulation which is important for HIV-mediated immune evasion.

3.4. CatG and tumorigenesis

Neutrophils release serine proteases, including cathepsin G, proteinase 3, and elastase, at the side of inflammation, which have a broad range of functions: Proteolytic modification of chemokines and cytokines, clearance of internalized pathogens, proteolytic dependent and -independent antimicrobial activity, apoptosis, and tumor progression and metastasis. There are several examples how cathepsins influences the subsequent progression of tumorigenesis by proteolytic activation of pro-MMP9, which is pivotal in TGF-b signaling. TGF-b itself facilitates chemoattraction of tumor cells, accelerates tumor cell growth, and enhances angiogenesis. We are interested in the multiple function of cathepsin G, for instance, the frequency of several cancer types is significantly increased in T1D. It seems most likely that there is a correlation between high levels of proteases, which we detected in dendritic cells (DCs) of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) patients, and the risk of several cancer types in T1D. Thus, our novel cell permeable serine protease inhibitors can be examined and might affect tumorigenesis.

4. Selected publications    

Giese, Turiello, Eipper, Molenda, Palesch, Basilico, Benarafa, Marc-Eric Halatsch, Zimecki, Westhoff, Wirtz, and Burster. Exogenous cathepsin G-mediated upregulation of MHC class I molecules in immune and glioblastoma cells. Oncotarget. 2016. Nov. 15;7 (46).

Penczek, Sienczyk, Wirtz, and Burster. Cell surface cathepsin G activity differs between human natural killer subsets. Immunology Letters. 2016. Sep. 24, 80-84.

Mostafa, Pala, Hoegel, Hlavach, Dietrich, Westhoff, Nonnenmacher, Burster, Georgieff, Wirtz, and Schneider. Immune phenotypes predicts survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme. Journal of Hematology and Oncology. 2016; Sep. 1; 9 (1):77.

Eipper S, Steiner R, Lesner A, Sienczyk M, Palesch D, Halatsch ME, Zaczynska E, Heim C, Hartman M, Zimecki M, Wirtz CR, and Burster T. Lactoferrin is an allosteric enhancer of the proteolytic activity of Cathepsin G. PLoS One. 2016; Mar 17;11.

Palesch D, Wagner J, Annika Meid, Molenda N, Sienczyk M, Muench J, Prokop L, Stevanovic S, Halatsch M, Wirtz CR, Zimecki M, Burster T. Cathepsin G-mediated proteolytic degradation of MHC class I molecules to facilitate immune detection of glioblastoma. Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy. 2016; Mar 65: 283-291.

Kyeong-Ae K, Ständker L, Zirafi O, Chudziak D, Mohr K, Möpps K, Gierschik P, Vas V, Geiger H, Lamla M, Burster T, Richter R, Daubeu F, Frossard N, Hachet-Haas M, Galzi J, Hancke K, Sandi-Monroy N, Kraft B, Schittek B, Sulyok G, Boenig H, Canales-Mayordomo A, Jiménez-Barbero J, Giménez-Gallego G, Forssmann WG, Kirchhoff F, Münch J. Discovery and characterization of an endogenous CXCR4 antagonist. Cell Reports. 2015; 11 (5): 737-747.

Zou F, Schmon M, Sienczyk M, Grzywa R, Palesch D, Sun Z, Watts C, Schirmbeck R and Burster T. Application of a novel high sensitive activity-based probe for detection of cathepsin G. Anal Biochem. 2012; 421 (2): 667-672. 

van Aalst D, Kalbacher H, Palesch P, Spyrantis A, Rosinger S, Boehm BO and Burster T. A proinsulin 73-90-derived protease-resistant altered peptide ligand increases TGF-b1 secretion in PBMC from patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus. J Leukoc Biol. 2010; 87(5): 943-8.

Burster T, Marin-Esteban V, Boehm BO, Rötzschke O, Falk K, Weber E, Verhelst S, Kalbacher H, and Driessen C: Design of protease-resistant myelin basic protein-derived peptides by cleavage site directed amino acid substitutions. Biochem. Pharmacology. 2007; 74 (10): 1514-1523.

Burster T, Beck A, Tolosa E, Schnorrer P, Reich M, Krauss M, Kalbacher H, Häring HU, Weisert R, Weber E, Overkleeft H, and Driessen C: Differential processing of autoantigens in lysosomes from human monocyte-derived and peripheral blood dendritic cells. J. Immunol. 2005; 175 (9): 5940-9.

Burster T, Beck A, Tolosa E, Marin-Esteban V, Rötzschke O, Falk K, Lautwein A, Reich M, Brandenburg J, Schwarz G, Wiendl H, Melms A, Lehmann R, Stevanovic S, Kalbacher H, and Driessen C: Cathepsin G, and not the asparagine endoprotease AEP, controls the processing of myelin basic protein in lysosomes from human B lymphocytes. J. Immunol. 2004; 172 (9): 5495-503.

Reviews

Bischof, Westhoff, Wagner, Trentmann, Knippschild, Wirtz, and Burster. Cancer stem cells: Potential role of autophagy, proteolysis, and cathepsins in glioblastoma stem cells. Tumor Biology. 2017. March;39 (3). 

Burster T. Processing and regulation mechanisms within the endocytic compartment of antigen presenting cells: possibility for therapeutic modulation. Current Pharmaceutical Design. 2013; 19 (6): 1029-42.

Burster T, Macmillan H, Hou T, Boehm BO and Mellins ED. Cathepsin G: roles in antigen presentation and byond. Mol Immunol. 2010; 47 (4): 658-665.

Busch R, Rinderknecht C, Roh S, Lee A, Harding JJ, Burster T, Hornell T, and Mellins ED: Achieving stability through editing and chaperoning: Cofactors of antigen presentation and their roles in the regulation of MHC class II peptide binding and expression. Immunol. Rev. 2005; 207: 242-60.  

5. Member of the Editorial Board

Editorial Board of Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis (AITE) for a 3-year term (2017-2019)