Behrendt Group

Nucleic Acid Immunity & Genome Defense

We are intrigued by the question of how genetic material (DNA, RNA) can elicit an immune response and how this contributes to daily life immunity. In the past we focused on understanding the role of nucleic acid sensing-induced innate immune activation in the development of autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases. During this work it has become clear that the same processes that cause pathologies in the diseased serve important physiological functions in healthy individuals, which we will try to understand in more detail. Specifically, we will study to role of endogenous retroelements that occupy almost half our genomes in every cell of the body. These mobile genetic elements could be predecessors of viruses as we know them today and our immune system treats them as such. Just for illustration, this means that almost every second letter in the written blueprint of our bodies is currently considered as "viral" by our defense machinery. The activation of endogenous retroelements has been associated with different pathologies, including inflammatory diseases and cancer, as well as with ageing. We believe that a deeper understanding of this major fraction of our own genetic material holds the key to a better unterstanding of nucleic acid immunity in health and in disease. We are trying to develop our field of research by addressing the following three overarching questions: 

1. Under which conditions are endogenous nucleic acids immunogenic?
2. How do endogenous viruses influence immunity?
3. How can we therapeutically harness nucleic acid immunity?