Pietro wins MPI-B Junior Research award!
Immunopathology of Virus Infections
Joined retreat of the Institutes of Virology, Molecular Immunology and Experimental Oncology
Congratulations to our collaborators Anna Płaszczyca and Ralf Bartenschlager (Heidelberg) as well as Pietro and Andreas!
The paper “A novel interaction between dengue virus nonstructural protein 1 and the NS4A-2K-4B precursor is required for viral RNA replication but not for formation of the membranous replication organelle” can be found here.
Meet our new instrument — incucyte S3!
Mass spectrometry based analyses typically lead to identification of hundreds of candidate proteins with potential to be involved in diverse virus-related processes. The incucyte S3 live cell imaging system allows to monitor up to 584 parallel conditions in a time-resolved and single-cell manner and – for instance – delivers accurate virus growth rates over time for these individual conditions. This enables us to conduct arrayed knockdown, knockout, overexpression or drug screens to link functional consequences to identified candidate proteins. For us, this is a life-transforming experience – we’re looking forward to many exciting experiments and lots of terabytes of images to crunch!
Antiviral Network of Proteins published in Nature Immunology
Congratulations to Philipp Hubel and co-authors – our work on the innate immune network got published in Nature Immunology!
The body’s defense strategies against viral infections are as diverse as the attacks themselves. We conducted a survey to systematically investigate the interactions of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), which are at the center of coordinating the antiviral immune response. Through integrating data obtained by affinity purification followed by mass spectrometry (AP/MS), published datasets and functional validation experiments, we found many unknown interactions of ISGs, which sheds light on the overall organization of the innate immune system.
Have a look at the paper: “A protein-interaction network of interferon-stimulated genes extends the innate immune system landscape”
Andreas gets ERC Consolidator Grant!
The human body has sophisticated defense systems against various threats. During viral infections, certain proteins change their turnover rates and their interactions with the other molecules.
The goal of the grant “Protein Dynamics in Antiviral Processes (ProDAP)” that was awarded by ERC is to systematically analyze the influence of protein interactions and protein stability on the antiviral immune system. Initial results suggest that the organism ability to change both of these factors plays an essential role in regulating the immune system and fighting viral pathogens. Targeting the activity of these proteins could open up avenues to new treatments.
So we are hiring! Please check our open positions if you want to be a part of this ambitious project.
Congrats to Dr. Bea!
Novel mechanism of Interferon Suppression in Sandfly
Novel mechanism of Interferon Suppression in Sandfly
Our collaborators Jenny Würth and Friedemann Weber identified a yet undescribed mechanism how Non-structural protein small (NSs) of Sandfly fever Sicilian phlebovirus perturbes type-I interferon induction: NSs directly associates to the DNA binding domain of the transcription factor IRF3 and thereby prevents induction of type-I interferon genes. Now published in Journal of Virology – Congratulations to Jenny!
Our Zika study published in Nature!
By a collaborative effort of our group with the Bartenschlager and the Götz laboratories we provide the most extensive multi-level molecular portrait of a Flavivirus known to date! Read the paper.
Zika virus is a tropical virus transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. In most cases the infected individuals do not show any sign of the disease, however the virus can persist in the genital tract of infected males for several months and be sexually transmitted to the other individuals. When the virus infects pregnant women, it is directly transmitted to the fetus which develops severe neurological malformations.
Our study identified hundreds of cellular proteins (here depicted as lego bricks) whose functions are disturbed in Zika-infected cells, laying the foundation for understanding and eliminating this global threat.
Cell Death through Oxeiptosis
Cell Death through Oxeiptosis
As a follow up to our recent oxeiptosis paper, Pietro’s and Andreas’ commentary on oxeiptosis is published in “Cell Death and Differentiation”
Cell Death and Differentiation (2018) 25(7):1191-1193