Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center (BMC)
Role of thymic B cells in central T cell tolerance
- Institute:
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center (BMC)
- Subject area:
- Immunology, Tolerance and Autoimmunity, T cell development
- Number of open positions:
- 1
- Project title:
- Role of thymic B cells in central T cell tolerance
- Project time plan:
- 48 months
- Language requirements:
- The working language of our laboratory is English. Applicants are therefore expected to have sufficient spoken and written English language skills to communicate effectively with colleagues, participate in scientific discussions and meetings, present research findings, and prepare scientific documentation and publications. Knowledge of German is not required for the position, as the research environment and day-to-day scientific communication within the laboratory are conducted in English.
- Academic requirements:
- Applicants should hold a relevant Master’s degree or an equivalent university qualification in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Biomedical Sciences, Biomedicine, Microbiology, Molecular Medicine, Cell Biology, Genetics, Immunology, or another closely related natural, life, or biomedical science. The degree must be recognized as equivalent to the corresponding German qualification and must provide eligibility for admission to doctoral studies.
Applicants should have practical experience in experimental biomedical or immunological research, including hands-on experience with animal experimentation and/or animal models, mammalian cell culture, and flow cytometry. Experience with retroviral vectors and T-cell functional assays is considered an additional advantage. Familiarity with standard molecular and cellular biology techniques, experimental design, data analysis, and good laboratory practices is expected. A strong interest and theoretical background in immunological research is highly desirable.
Project description
Tolerance to self-antigens is a fundamental property of the immune system. During central tolerance induction in the thymus, autoreactive T cells are either eliminated or diverted into the regulatory T cell lineage. Both processes are dependent on the presentation of self-antigens by thymic antigen presenting cells (APCs). Commonly, dendritic cells and medullary thymic epithelial cells are believed to represent the key APCs for central T cell tolerance (1). The thymus also harbors a distinct population of B cells, raising the possibility that thymic B cells serve a non-redundant APC function in central T cell tolerance induction (2). We have recently tested this hypothesis through large scale comparisons of the TCR composition of ‘normally’ selected T cell repertoires versus repertoires selected in the absence of B cells, Dendritic cells, or both. This identified a surprisingly large cohort of TCRs whose negative selection under physiological circumstances crucially requires thymic B cells. In future work, we aim to elucidate the antigen specificities of such “B-cell-deleted” clones. Moreover, we will re-express selected candidate TCRs in TCR transgenic mice to define their precise selection modalities, and to determine the (pathological?) consequences of bypassing the B-cell-mediated tolerance checkpoint.
1. Petrozziello E., Klein L. (2025) Antigen presentation for cental tolerance induction. Nature Reviews Immunology, 25(1): 57-72.
2. Yamano T., … and Klein L. (2015) Thymic B cells are licensed to present self antigens for central T cell tolerance induction. Immunity, 42(6): 1048-1061.
To applicants: Please send following initial application documents to LMU-CSCOffice before 7th December:
- Resume and Research Motivation Letter
- Certificate of Proficiency in English, equivalent to IELTS Test Academic 6.5 (no module below 6) or TOEFL IBT 95, is required
- Two letters of recommendation directly sent from your current Supervisors/Professors to LMU-CSC Office
Contact LMU-CSC Office: csc.international@lmu.de