Laboratory Thomas Boehm

One major focus of our work is the evolution of the adaptive immune system. The adaptive immune system depends on effective quality control to eliminate potentially self-reactive receptors that are generated by a somatic and essentially random rearrangement process. Primary lymphoid organs are the morphological basis for this selection process. We therefore investigate the genetic basis of their development and function. We also utilize the information obtained from mouse to investigate similar processes in more primitive vertebrates and to examine for the possible presence of evolutionary primordia of such organs. We are also interested in the evolution of the MHC/antigen presentation system and examine the potential role of peptide ligands as signals of genetic individuality in the context of sexual selection. We explore the possibility that such an alternative function of peptides pre-dated the emergence of the VDJ recombination system.

Senior Group Leader and Director

Thomas Boehm
phone: -328

boehm@immunbio.mpg.de

1956
born in Gelnhausen, Germany
studies in Medicine at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany

1982-1986
Fellow in Biological Chemistry and Pediatrics, University of Frankfurt Medical School

1987-1991
Staff Scientist at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England

1992-1994
Professor at the University of Freiburg Medical School, Germany

1995-1997
Professor at the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany

Since 1998
Director at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany

Project Areas

Thymus development and function

What clues does the thymus have to offer? The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ whose function is to provide mature and self-tolerant T lymphocytes that are...

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Genetics of thymopoiesis and T cell development in vertebrates

A forward genetic screen in zebrafish was undertaken in order to establish the genetic basis of thymopoiesis and T cell development in vertebrates and about 40...

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Evolution of adaptive immune systems

Most species in the animal kingdom lack an adaptive immune system and instead rely on innate immune functions for immune defense.

more details >

Recent Publications

Synergistic, context-dependent and hierarchical functions of epithelial components in thymic microenvironments.
Calderón, L. and Boehm, T.
Cell 149, 159-172
Regenerative capacity of adult cortical thymic epithelial cells.
Rode, I. and Boehm, T. (2012)
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 109, 3463-3468
Intravital Imaging of Thymopoiesis Reveals Dynamic Lympho-Epithelial Interactions.
Hess, I. and Boehm, T. (2012)
Immunity 36, 298-309
VLR-Based Adaptive Immunity.
Boehm, T., McCurley, N., Sutoh, Y., Schorpp, M., Kasahara, M. and Cooper, M.D. (2012)
Annu. Rev. Immunol. 30, 203-220
Genetic evidence for an evolutionary conserved role of IL-7 signaling in T cell development of zebrafish.
Iwanami, N., Mateos, F., Hess, I., Riffel, N., Soza-Ried, C., Schorpp M. and Boehm T. (2011)
J Immunol. 15, 7060-7066
Design principles of adaptive immune systems.
Boehm, T. (2011)
Nat Rev Immunol. 11, 307-317
Three chemokine receptors cooperatively regulate homing of hematopoietic progenitors to the embryonic mouse thymus.
Calderón L., Boehm, T. (2011)
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108, 7517-7522
A thymus candidate in lampreys.
Bajoghli, B., Guo, P., Aghaallaei, N., Hirano, M., Strohmeier, C., McCurley, N., Bockman, D.E., Schorpp, M., Cooper, M.D. and Boehm, T. (2011)
Nature 470, 90-94
Essential role of c-myb in definitive hematopoiesis is evolutionarily conserved.
Soza-Ried, C., Hess, I., Netuschil, N., Schorpp, M. and Boehm, T. (2010)
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 107, 17304-17308
Evolution of genetic networks contributing to the emergence of thymopoiesis in vertebrates.
Bajoghli, B., Aghaallaei, N., Hess, I., Rode, I., Netuschil, N., Tay, B-H., Venkatesh, B., Yu, J-K., Kaltenbach, S.L., Holland, N.D., Diekhoff, D., Happe, C., Schorpp, M. and Boehm, T. (2009)
Cell 138, 186-197

Group Members

Group Leader

Boehm, Thomas

phone: -328

boehm@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Administrative Assistant

Kirk, Helen

phone: -329

kirk@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Project Leader

Schorpp, Michael

phone: -240 / -780

schorpp@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Postdoctoral Fellows

Calderon, Lesly

phone: -316 / -318

calderon@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Guerri, Lucia

phone: -240 / -229

guerri@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Heß, Isabell

phone: -240

hess@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Holland, Stephen

phone: -240 / -229

holland@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Iwanami, Norimasa

phone: -325

iwanami@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Kijima-Iwanami, Mika

phone: -318

kijima@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Liegeois, Samuel

phone: -315 / -316 / -318

liegeois@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Nagakubo, Daisuke

phone: -495

nagakubo@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Swann, Jeremy

phone: -317

swann@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Ph.D. Students

Lawir, Divine Fondzenyuy

phone: -240

lawir@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Simons, Laura

phone: -325 / -318

debatin@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Research Assistants

Garbers, Beate

phone: -241
Technicians

Birmelin, Stefanie

phone: -318

birmelin@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Diekhoff, Dagmar

phone: -240

diekhoff@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Fidler, Ingrid

phone: -229

fidler@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Franz, Tanna

phone: -241

franzt@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Haas-Assenbaum, Annette

phone: -260

haas_assenba@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Hammerschmidt, Brigitte

phone: -318

hammerschmib@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Happe, Christiane

phone: -317

happe@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Held, Monika

phone: -241

held@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Mateos, Fernando

phone: -240

mateos@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Strohmeier, Christine

phone: -318 / -317

strohmeier@ie-freiburg.mpg.de
Student Assistants

Cimiotti, Bastian

phone: -315
Hammerschmidt, Daria

phone: -241
Julier, Patricia

phone: -748
Trefzer, Anne

phone: -315

trefzer@ie-freiburg.mpg.de

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Our Research Groups

Laboratory Thomas Boehm

Senior Group Leader and Director

Project Areas

Thymus development and function

Genetics of thymopoiesis and T cell development in vertebrates

Evolution of adaptive immune systems

Recent Publications

Group Members

Group Leader

Administrative Assistant

Project Leader

Postdoctoral Fellows

Ph.D. Students

Research Assistants

Technicians

Student Assistants