The core scientific interest of the group is best labeled as “Development of cellular innate immunity at interfaces”. Of particular interest are cellular programs and microenvironmental signals in site specific differentiation and adaptation of tissue macrophages throughout life, i.e. starting in utero, and extending from bone-marrow to critical body sites (e.g. skin, lung, intestine). We combine experimental infection models in mice and in vitro, high resolution imaging, multi-color flow cytometry, single cell transcriptomics and metabolic analysis to break new ground in understanding and modulating limits of cellular plasticity. Our research is of particular importance for understanding postnatal development of natural immunity, and ultimately enables the design of intervention strategies combatting infectious diseases and propagating tissue repair from early on.

KEY WORDS

Macrophages, tissue immunity, development of resistance against bacterial infections, myeloid cell origin and plasticity

10 selected publications:

• Cytomegalovirus subverts macrophage identity.
  Baasch S, Giansanti P, Kolter J, Riedl A, Forde AJ, Runge S, Zenke S, Elling R, Halenius A, Brabletz S, Hengel H, Kuster B, Brabletz T, Cicin-Sain L, Arens R, Vlachos A, Rohr JC, Stemmler MP, Kopf M, Ruzsics Z, Henneke P(2021).
  Cell. 184(14):3774-3793.e25.
• Monocyte progenitors give rise to multinucleated giant cells.
  Lösslein AK, Lohrmann F, Scheuermann L, Gharun K, Neuber J, Kolter J, Forde AJ, Kleimeyer C, Poh YY, Mack M, Triantafyllopoulou A, Dunlap MD, Khader SA, Seidl M, Hölscher A, Hölscher C, Guan XL, Dorhoi A, Henneke P (2021).
  Nat Commun. 12(1):2027.
• Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and their parents in southwest Germany.
  Tönshoff B, Müller B, Elling R, Renk H, Meissner P, Hengel H, Garbade SF, Kieser M, Jeltsch K, Grulich-Henn J, Euler J, Stich M, Chobanyan-Jürgens K, Zernickel M, Janda A, Wölfle L, Stamminger T, Iftner T, Ganzenmueller T, Schmitt C, Görne T, Laketa V, Olberg S, Plaszczyca A, Cortese M, Bartenschlager R, Pape C, Remme R, Huzly D, Panning M, Weigang S, Giese S, Ciminski K, Ankerhold J, Kochs G, Schwemmle M, Handgretinger R, Niemeyer CM, Engel C, Kern WV, Hoffmann GF, Franz AR, Henneke P, Debatin KM, Kräusslich HG (2021).
  JAMA Pediatr. 175(6):586-593.
• Resident macrophages acquire innate immune memory in staphylococcal skin infection.
  Feuerstein R, Forde AJ, Lohrmann F, Kolter J, Ramirez NJ, Zimmermann J, Gomez de Agüero M, Henneke P (2020).
  Elife. 9:e55602.
• A Subset of skin macrophages contributes to the surveillance and regeneration of local nerves.
  Kolter J, Feuerstein R, Zeis P, Hagemeyer N, Paterson N, d'Errico P, Baasch S, Amann L, Masuda T, Lösslein A, Gharun K, Meyer-Luehmann M, Waskow C, Franzke CW, Grün D, Lämmermann T, Prinz M, Henneke P (2019).
  Immunity. 50(6):1482-1497.e7
• Mycobacteria exploit nitric oxide-induced transformation of macrophages into permissive giant cells.
  Gharun K, Senges J, Seidl M, Lösslein A, Kolter J, Lohrmann F, Fliegauf M, Elgizouli M, Alber M, Vavra M, Schachtrup K, Illert AL, Gilleron M, Kirschning CJ, Triantafyllopoulou A, Henneke P (2018).
  EMBO Rep. 19(12):e47190.
• DNA Damage signaling instructs polyploid macrophage fate in granulomas.
  Herrtwich L, Nanda I, Evangelou K, Nikolova T, Horn V, Sagar, Erny D, Stefanowski J, Rogell L, Klein C, Gharun K, Follo M, Seidl M, Kremer B, Münke N, Senges J, Fliegauf M, Aschman T, Pfeifer D, Sarrazin S, Sieweke MH, Wagner D, Dierks C, Haaf T, Ness T, Zaiss MM, Voll RE, Deshmukh SD, Prinz M, Goldmann T, Hölscher C, Hauser AE, Lopez-Contreras AJ, Grün D, Gorgoulis V, Diefenbach A, Henneke P, Triantafyllopoulou Ab (2018).
  Cell. 174(5):1325-1326.
• Preserved effector functions of human ORAI1- and STIM1-deficient neutrophils.
  Elling R, Keller B, Weidinger C, Häffner M, Deshmukh SD, Zee I, Speckmann C, Ehl S, Schwarz K, Feske S, Henneke P (2016).
  J Allergy Clin Immunol. 137(5):1587-1591.e7.
• Deficiency of innate and acquired immunity caused by an IKBKB mutation.
  Pannicke U, Baumann B, Fuchs S, Henneke P, Rensing-Ehl A, Rizzi M, Janda A, Hese K, Schlesier M, Holzmann K, Borte S, Laux C, Rump EM, Rosenberg A, Zelinski T, Schrezenmeier H, Wirth T, Ehl S, Schroeder ML, Schwarz K (2013).
  N Engl J Med. 369(26):2504-14
• Macrophages recognize streptococci through bacterial single-stranded RNA.
  Deshmukh SD, Kremer B, Freudenberg M, Bauer S, Golenbock DT, Henneke P (2011).
  EMBO Rep. 12(1):71-6.