Group Schüler

Research interests:

The size of the peripheral T cell pool is remarkably stable. Although T cells expand massively in response to infection, their number normalizes again after pathogen clearance. This suggests that self-regulatory processes control peripheral T cell homeostasis. In this context, Interleukin-7 (IL-7) plays a crucial role. Although the importance of IL-7 for the maintenance of T cell homeostasis is well documented, only little is known about the biology of IL-7-producing cells and the mechanisms by which IL-7 production is regulated at the molecular level. With the help of novel mouse models we address these questions and study the immunomodulatory function of IL-7-producing stroma cells and their impact on T cell homeostasis under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.

The generation of immunological memory protects the host from recurrent infections. This unique ability of the immune system is exploited in the clinic. For example, vaccination and adoptive T cell therapy aim to generate long-lived memory T cells (T_M) to eradicate e.g. tumor cells or pathogens. However, the molecular mechanisms guiding T_M generation and differentiation are largely unknown. We could show that Interferon-g (IFN-g) affects both processes, directly and indirectly. While its action on host cells limits the number of CD8⁺ T_M, IFN-g signals in CD8⁺ T cells regulates their T_M differentiation. The cellular and molecular mechanisms by which IFN-g regulates CD8⁺ T_M generation/differentiation and their impact on pathogen clearance and adoptive T cell therapy of cancer are tested in the mouse model.