Cornelia Bergmann, PhD
Staff
Professor, Molecular Medicine, CCLCM-CWRU
Email: [email protected]
Location: Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Research
Dr. Bergmann's research explores how the immune system controls viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS), while minimizing tissue destruction. Using murine neurotropic coronaviruses her studies evaluate how specialized cells of the CNS respond to virus infection and how these responses contribute to recruitment of protective leukocytes into the CNS. This work has revealed the importance of cell type specific activation of type I interferon responses as well as the interplay between critical effector functions exerted by diverse leukocyte populations infiltrating the CNS at distinct phases of disease in controling virus. Examples are the necessity of both T cell derived interferon gamma and perforin in limiting viral replication, but a requirement for local antibody secreting cells in maintaining control of very low levels of persisting virus. Ongoing research focuses on recruitment and maintenance of diverse B cell subsets in the CNS and characterizing antibody independent roles in contributing to inflammation. The lab is also investigationg how immunemodulatory receptors expressed by T cells can be manipulated to maximize viral control without leading to overt pathology manifested by demyelination and neuronal damage.
Biography
Coming soon.
Education & Professional Highlights
Appointed
2006
Fellowship - University of Auckland School of Medicine
Virology
Auckland, New Zealand
1990
Graduate School - Technische Hochschule Darmstadt
Chemical Enginneering
Darmstadt, Germany
1986
Masters Science Education - Technische Hochschule Darmstadt
Chemistry
1981
Undergraduate - Technische Hochschule Darmstadt
Chemistry
1979
AAAS Elected Fellow in Neurosciences (2022)
Research
Our research focuses on immune responses to viral infections in the central nervous system (CNS), with an emphasis on persistent infections and immune-pathology manifested by demyelination. Neurotropic mouse coronavirus (mCoV) -induced encephalomyelitis is used to investigate how resident CNS cells trigger and modulate immune function. Although innate and adaptive immune responses join forces to control virus, it persists in the CNS at low levels. Our goal is to dissect the contribution of distinct lymphocyte subsets to long-term virus control as well as demyelinating disease. These insights will assist in developing strategies not only to combat acute CNS infections, but also to maintain control of endogenous viruses during immunemodulatory treatment of autoimmune inflammation. Two projects are under way:
1. Maintenance of humoral immunity within the CNS. Intrathecal antibody-secreting cells control virus re-emergence during the persistent phase of infection. However the role of unswitched mature B cells (IgD+IgM+) as well as memory B cells emerging in the infected CNS remains to be characterized. Transgenic reporter mice marking B cells that have undergone germinal center reactions are used to characterize B cell dynamics, differentiation, localization and maintenance within the CNS.
2. Regulation of T cell and B cell mediated immunity by regulatory receptors. Our recent studies revealed that the T cell expressed scavenger receptor CD6, known to aggravate autoimmune diseases, surprisingly dampens CD4 T cell activation and limits differentiation of T follicular helper cells in draining lymph nodes following mCoV CNS infection; enhanced T follicular helper cells in the absnece of CD6 coincided with earlier emergence of high affinity virus specific antibodies in serum. Efforts are underway to understand the mechanisms underlying the distinct roles of CD6 in regulating T cell activation in distinct immunologogical environments.
Our Team
Selected Publications
View publications for Cornelia Bergmann, PhD
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Selected Publications (2015-present):
Boylan BT, Hwang M, Brozost E, Oh H, Tumanov AV, Louveau A, Bergmann CC. (2025) B cells are not drivers of stromal cell activation during acute CNS infection.J Neuroinflammation. 22(1):165. doi: 10.1186/s12974-025-03491-7.PMID: 40579701
Cardani-Boulton A, Lin F, Bergmann CC. (2025) CD6 regulates CD4 T follicular helper cell differentiation and humoral immunity during murine coronavirus infection. J Virol. J99(1):e0186424. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01864-24. PMID: 39679790
Hwang M, Bergmann CC. (2024) Neurotropic murine coronavirus mediated demyelination: Factors dampening pathogenesis. J Neuroimmunol. 393:578382. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2024.578382. Epub 2024 Jun 1.PMID: 38850674 Review.
Sharma M, Chakravarty D, Hussain A, Zalavadia A, Burrows A, Rayman P, Sharma N, Kenyon LC, Bergmann C, Sen GC, Das Sarma J.J (2023) Ifit2 restricts murine coronavirus spread to the spinal cord white matter and its associated myelin pathology. J Virol. 97(8):e0074923. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00749-23. Epub 2023 Jul 28.PMID: 37504572
Boylan BT, Hwang M, Bergmann CC. (2023) The Impact of Innate Components on Viral Pathogenesis in the Neurotropic Coronavirus Encephalomyelitis Mouse Model. Viruses. 15(12):2400. doi: 10.3390/v15122400.PMID: 38140641 Review.
Chen Z, Hu W, Mendez MJ, Gossman ZC, Chomyk A, Boylan BT, Kidd GJ, Phares TW, Bergmann CC, Trapp BD. (2023) Neuroprotection by Preconditioning in Mice is Dependent on MyD88-Mediated CXCL10 Expression in Endothelial Cells. ASN Neuro. 15:17590914221146365. doi: 10.1177/17590914221146365.PMID: 36591943.
Cardani-Boulton A, Boylan BT, Stetsenko V, Bergmann CC. (2022) B cells going viral in the CNS: Dynamics, complexities, and functions of B cells responding to viral encephalitis. Immunol Rev. 311(1):75-89. doi: 10.1111/imr.13124. Epub 2022 Aug 19.PMID: 35984298. Review.
Hwang M, Savarin C, Kim J, Powers J, Towne N, Oh H, Bergmann CC. (2022) Trem2 deficiency impairs recovery and phagocytosis and dysregulates myeloid gene expression during virus-induced demyelination. J Neuroinflammation. 19(1):267. doi: 10.1186/s12974-022-02629-1.PMID: 36333761
Pillai JA, Bebek G, Khrestian M, Bena J, Bergmann CC, Bush WS, Leverenz JB, Bekris LM. (2021) TNFRSF1B Gene Variants and Related Soluble TNFR2 Levels Impact Resilience in Alzheimer's Disease. Front Aging Neurosci. 13:638922. PMID: 33716716; PMCID: PMC7947258
Hwang M, Bergmann CC. (2020) Neuronal Ablation of Alpha/Beta Interferon (IFN-α/β) Signaling Exacerbates Central Nervous System Viral Dissemination and Impairs IFN-γ Responsiveness in Microglia/Macrophages. J Virol. 94(20):e00422-20. PMID: 32796063; PMCID: PMC7527041
Das Sarma J, Burrows A, Rayman P, Hwang MH, Kundu S, Sharma N, Bergmann C, Sen GC (2020) Ifit2 deficiency restricts microglial activation and leukocyte migration following murine coronavirus (m-CoV) CNS infection. PLoS Pathog. 16(11):e1009034. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009034. eCollection 2020 Nov.PMID: 33253295
Bergmann CC, Silverman RH. (2020) COVID-19: Coronavirus replication, pathogenesis, and therapeutic strategies. Cleve Clin J Med. 87(6):321-327. PMID: 32366502
Atkinson JR, Hwang M, Reyes-Rodriguez A, Bergmann CC. (2019) Dynamics of Virus-Specific Memory B Cells and Plasmablasts following Viral Infection of the Central Nervous System. J Virol. 93(2). pii: e00875-18. PMID: 30333176; PMCID: PMC6321933
Hwang M, Bergmann CC. (2019) Intercellular Communication Is Key for Protective IFNα/β Signaling During Viral Central Nervous System Infection. Viral Immunol. 32(1):1-6. PMID: 30222502
Savarin C, Bergmann CC. (2018) Fine Tuning the Cytokine Storm by IFN and IL-10 Following Neurotropic Coronavirus Encephalomyelitis. Front Immunol. 9:3022. PMID: 30619363; PMCID: PMC6306494
Savarin C, Dutta R, Bergmann CC. (2018) Distinct Gene Profiles of Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages and Microglia During Neurotropic Coronavirus-Induced Demyelination. Front Immunol. 9:1325. PMID: 29942315; PMCID: PMC6004766
Valentin-Torres A, Savarin C, Barnett J, Bergmann CC. (2018) Blockade of sustained tumor necrosis factor in a transgenic model of progressive autoimmune encephalomyelitis limits oligodendrocyte apoptosis and promotes oligodendrocyte maturation. J Neuroinflammation 15(1):121. PMID: 29690885; PMCID: PMC5916830
Hwang M, Bergmann CC. (2018) IFNα/β signaling in astrocytes mediates protection against viral encephalomyelitis and regulates IFNγ dependent responses. J Virol. 92(10). pii: e01901-17. PMID: 29491163; PMCID: PMC5923078
Atkinson JR, Bergmann CC. (2017) Protective Humoral Immunity in the Central Nervous System Requires Peripheral CD19-Dependent Germinal Center Formation following Coronavirus Encephalomyelitis. J Virol. 91(23). pii: e01352-17. PMID: 28931676; PMCID: PMC5686739
DiSano KD, Stohlman SA, Bergmann CC. (2017) An optimized method for enumerating CNS derived memory B cells during viral-induced inflammation. J Neurosci Methods 285:58-68. PMID: 28495370; PMCID: PMC5545894
Savarin C, Bergmann CC. (2017) Viral-induced suppression of self-reactive T cells: Lessons from neurotropic coronavirus-induced demyelination. J Neuroimmunol. 308:12-16. PMID: 28108025; PMCID: PMC5474352
DiSano KD, Stohlman SA, Bergmann CC. (2017) Activated GL7+ B cells are maintained within the inflamed CNS in the absence of follicle formation during viral encephalomyelitis. Brain Behav Immun. 60:71-83. PMID: 27658544; PMCID: PMC5215090
Savarin C, Bergmann CC, Hinton DR, Stohlman SA. (2016) Differential Regulation of Self-reactive CD4+ T Cells in Cervical Lymph Nodes and Central Nervous System during Viral Encephalomyelitis. Front Immunol. 7:370. PMID: 27708643; PMCID: PMC5030268
Valentin-Torres A, Savarin C, Hinton DR, Phares TW, Bergmann CC, Stohlman SA. (2016) Sustained TNF production by central nervous system infiltrating macrophages promotes progressive autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J Neuroinflammation 13:46. PMID: 26906225; PMCID: PMC4763407
Phares TW, DiSano KD, Stohlman SA, Segal BM, Bergmann CC. (2016) CXCL13 promotes isotype-switched B cell accumulation to the central nervous system during viral encephalomyelitis. Brain Behav Immun. 54:128-39. PMID: 26795429; PMCID: PMC4828287
Savarin C, Bergmann CC, Gaignage M, Stohlman SA. (2015) Self-reactive CD4(+) T cells activated during viral-induced demyelination do not prevent clinical recovery. J Neuroinflammation 12:207. PMID: 26559484; PMCID: PMC4642610
Puntambekar SS, Hinton DR, Yin X, Savarin C, Bergmann CC, Trapp BD, Stohlman SA. (2015) Interleukin-10 is a critical regulator of white matter lesion containment following viral induced demyelination. Glia 63(11):2106-20. PMID: 26132901; PMCID: PMC4755156
Butchi N, Kapil P, Puntambekar S, Stohlman SA, Hinton DR, Bergmann CC. (2015) Myd88 Initiates Early Innate Immune Responses and Promotes CD4 T Cells during Coronavirus Encephalomyelitis. J Virol. 89(18):9299-312. PMID: 26136579; PMCID: PMC4542380
Savarin C, Hinton DR, Valentin-Torres A, Chen Z, Trapp BD, Bergmann CC, Stohlman SA. (2015) Astrocyte response to IFN-γ limits IL-6-mediated microglia activation and progressive autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J Neuroinflammation 12:79. PMID: 25896970; PMCID: PMC4410573
Careers
Research News
TREM2 deficiency did not affect acute disease or virus control but was associated with how the central nervous system recovers from inflammation and damage.