Institute for
Experimental Hematology
Arbeitsgruppe Prof. Dr. Schmidt-Supprian
Research Interests
Our immune system protects us against invasion by foreign pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. However, we pay an evolutionary price for our highly efficient and sophisticated immune defense, namely immunopathology. Immunopathologies include exaggerated responses to harmless substances, also termed allergic responses, misguided responses against our own body, which can lead to autoimmune diseases and the uncontrolled expansion of immune cells, which in turn can cause cancer.
The Schmidt-Supprian research group investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying such disorders. Immune cells can identify foreign microbial components through a host of cell surface receptors. These receptors then relay signals to the nucleus, where transcription factors activate the expression of genes whose protein products help fight the invaders. Misguidance of such signal transduction events can result in autoimmunity and leukemias or lymphomas, the most prevalent cancers of the immune system. To study critical mechanisms of immunopathology, the group employs genetic loss and gain of function approaches in the mouse combined with cellular and biochemical approaches. Within the immune systems, the main focus is on B and T lymphocytes and mast cells. In these cells, we investigate the regulation of genes and proteins whose exaggerated functions or malfunctions directly contribute to immunpathologies.
Vahl JC, Drees C, Heger K, Heink S, Fischer JC, Nedjic J, Ohkura N, Morikawa H, Poeck H, Schallenberg S, Rieß D, Hein MY, Buch T, Polic B, Schönle A, Zeiser R, Schmitt-Gräff A, Kretschmer K, Klein L, Korn T, Sakaguchi S, Schmidt-Supprian M, Continuous T-cell receptor signals maintain a functional regulatory T-cell pool, Immunity 41, 722–736 (2014).
Heger K, Fierens K, Vahl JC, Aszodi A, Peschke K, Schenten D, Hammad H, Beyaert R, Saur D, van Loo G, Roers A, Lambrecht BN, Kool M, Schmidt-Supprian M, A20-defi cient mast cells exacerbate infl ammatory responses in vivo, PLoS Biol 12(1):e1001762 (2014).
Vahl JC, Heger K, Knies N, Hein MY, Boon L, Yagita H, Polic B, Schmidt-Supprian M, NKT cell-TCR expression activates conventional T cells in vivo, but is largely dispensable for mature NKT cell biology, PLoS Biol 11(6):e1001589 (2013).
Bertossi A, Aichinger M, Sansonetti P, Lech M, Neff F, Pal M, Wunderlich FT, Anders HJ, Klein L, Schmidt-Supprian M, Loss of Roquin induces early death and immune deregulation but not autoimmunity, J Exp Med 208(9):1749–1756 (2011).
Chu Y, Vahl JC, Kumar D, Heger K, Bertossi A, Wójtowicz E, Soberon V, Schenten D, Mack B, Reutelshöfer M, Beyaert R, Amann K, van Loo G, Schmidt-Supprian M, B cells lacking the tumor suppressor TNFAIP3/A20 display impaired differentiation and hyperactivation and cause infl ammation and autoimmunity in aged mice, Blood 117(7):2227–2236 (2011).
Principal Investigator
Prof. Marc Schmidt-Supprian
E-Mail
Laboratory:
Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM)
Lab Members (alphabetical)
Tim Ammon
Mayur Bakshi
Seren Baygün
Sabrina Bortoluzzi
Nyambayar Dashtsoodol
Sabine Helmrath
Julia Knogler
Katarzyna Jopek
Daniel Kovacs
Markus Moser
Claudia Mugler
Hyunju Oh-Strauß
Francisco Osorio
Marc Schmidt-Supprian
Valeria Soberon
Carina Steinecke
Application
Written applications including CV are welcome and should be forwarded by e-mail to Prof. Schmidt-Supprian
Third party funding
We are supported by the DFG, the EKFS and the ERC.