Prinz Lab - Systems Immunology

Our goal is to understand the immunological opportunities and challenges arising from the enormous diversity of adaptive T cell receptor combinations. Therefore, we monitor the dynamics of T cell receptor repertoires during immune responses to pathogens and in the course of autoimmune diseases. In particular, we are interested in the role of γδ T cells at the interface between innate and adaptive immunity.

Portrait Prof Dr. Immo Prinz, Director of Institute of Systems Immunology


Unraveling the mysteries of γδ T cells.

Prof. Dr. Immo Prinz

Director of the institute - Institute of Systems Immunology

Project details and goals

T cells develop in the thymus, where each of them rearranges a different αβ or γδ T cell receptor. The theoretical diversity of these T cell receptors is more than a quadrillion, which allows for the potential recognition of almost infinite numbers of antigens by different T cell receptors. We hypothesize that the individual T cell receptor sequences determine the functional differentiation of αβ or γδ T cells.


To understand the correlation between T cell receptor sequences and immune responses, our specific goals are:

  1. to track individual T cell clones that respond to viral infections by single-cell sequencing in longitudinal cohorts;

  2. to identify the antigens recognized by responding αβ or γδ T cell receptors using experimental and in silico systems;

  3. to study the clonal distribution of T cells and their interaction with target cells in tissues.

In summary, we aim to understand how individual T cell receptors instruct αβ and γδ T cells to mount a beneficial response to infection and cancer, or to eventually drive adverse autoimmune reactions.

In the long run, the “good” T cell receptors could be used for immunotherapy and the “bad” T cell receptors targeted to dampen autoimmunity.

Current projects Prinz Lab

Clonal distribution of T cells and their interaction with target cells in tissues
Tracking individual γδ and αβ T cell clones during CMV reactivation
Contribution of γδ T cells to the development of colitis-associated colorectal cancer
Deciphering γδ T cells in spondyloarthropathies
Development of functionally diverse myeloid cells in steady state vs. disease
Graphical schema for project 'Identification of γδ T cell receptor ligands'
Identification of γδ T cell receptor ligands

Team Prinz Lab

Prof. Dr. Immo Prinz
Head
Dr. jur. Cristiana Cicoria
Senior Project Manager
Meike Petersen
Lab Manager
Dr. rer. nat. Regine Dress
Junior Research Group Leader
Dr. nat. med. Anja Meyer
Visiting Scientist
Zheng Song
PhD Student
Rixa-Mareike Köhn
PhD Student
André Miguel Vaz Pinto Santos
PhD Student
Freya Sibbertsen
PhD Student
Carolin Maack
Medical Doctor Student

Publications – Prinz Lab

A CMV-induced adaptive human Vδ1+ γδ T cell clone recognizes HLA-DRicon
A fetal wave of human type 3 effector γδ cells with restricted TCR diversity persists into adulthoodicon
Microbial exposure drives polyclonal expansion of innate γδ T cells immediately after birthicon
Genetic models reveal origin, persistence and non-redundant functions of IL-17-producing γδ T cellsicon
T cells are quickly reconstituted after stem cell transplantation and show adaptive clonal expansion in response to viral infectionicon