en
Niels Lemmermann
© Katharina Wislsperger
Jun.Prof. Dr. Niels Lemmermann

Affiliations
  • Institut für Virologie
Research topics
  • adoptive T cell therapy
  • viral immunevasion
  • viral latency
The host-specific cytomegaloviruses (CMV) are large DNA viruses of the beta herpesvirus family which remains after acute infection in a state of replicative latency in host tissues for life. The establishment of latency is the result of a long period of co-evolution between CMV and its host. During this, the virus and host have developed a fine balance of immune evasion and immune control to maintain latency. Under conditions of immunosuppression, productive infection can reoccur by reactivation of latent genomes. Primary infection or reactivation can lead to life-threatening diseases, e.g. interstitial pneumonia in immunocompromised patients after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The main research topic of our group is to study the establishment of acute and latent CMV infection in a mouse model. We aim to understand the molecular and immunological basis of CMV control by the immune system and the viral countermeasures that lead to the establishment of latency.
Selected publications

Rodrigo MB, De Min A, Jorch SK, Martin-Higueras C, Baumgart AK, Goldyn B, Becker S, Garbi N, Lemmermann NA, Kurts C (2024) Dual fluorescence reporter mice for Ccl3 transcription, translation, and intercellular communication. J Exp Med 221:e20231814.

Büttner JK, Becker S, Fink A, Brinkmann MM, Holtappels R, Reddehase MJ, Lemmermann NA (2023) Direct antigen presentation is the canonical pathway of cytomegalovirus CD8 T-cell priming regulated by balanced immune evasion ensuring a strong antiviral response. Front Immunol 14:1272166.

Griessl M, Renzaho A, Freitag K, Seckert CK, Reddehase MJ, Lemmermann NAW (2021) Stochastic Episodes of Latent Cytomegalovirus Transcription Drive CD8 T-Cell "Memory Inflation" and Avoid Immune Evasion. Front Immunol 12:668885.

Thomas S, Klobuch S, Podlech J, Plachter B, Hoffmann P, Renzaho A, Theobald M, Reddehase MJ, Herr W, Lemmermann NA (2015) Evaluating Human T-Cell Therapy of Cytomegalovirus Organ Disease in HLA-Transgenic Mice. PLoS Pathog 11:e1005049.

Niels Lemmermann
© Katharina Wislsperger
Jun.Prof. Dr. Niels Lemmermann

-