Professor of Experimental Immunology,
group leader TATI
Tel.: +49 7071 29-8 28 05
Fax: +49 7071 29-46 77
Postdoc (biol)
Tel.: +49 7071 29-8 06 50
Fax: +49 7071 29-46 77
Kilian.Wistuba-Hamprecht{@}uni-tuebingen.de
"Human γδ T-Cells in aging"
γδ T-cells are a small population of non-MHC-restricted lymphocytes which share characteristics of both innate and adaptive immune cells. The antigens recognized by γδ receptors remain mostly unknown, but it has been shown recently that they recognize small phosphorylated molecules as well as stress-induced surface proteins in tissues. The focus of my thesis is the investigation of age and age-related effects on human γδ T-cells. One major factor strongly influencing age-associated changes of the human immune system is a latent infection with Cytomegalovirus (CMV). Despite the common perception that life-long CMV infection is usually asymptomatic, emerging epidemiological evidence suggests that it may in fact be associated with higher mortality. Mechanisms responsible for this potentially important effect are unclear. CMV infection is known to have a large impact on the distribution of T cell phenotypes, especially the accumulation of late-stage differentiated CD8pos, as well as Vδ2negγδ T-cells, which are the main subset of γδ T-cells involved in anti-CMV immunity. Its impact on γδ T-cells in the aging context is less well-defined and is a major aspect of my thesis. ”
Ph. D. student (biol)
Tel.: +49 7071 29-8 12 69
Fax: +49 7071 29-46 77
Visiting Scientists
Ourania Tsitsilonis, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor in Immunology
Visiting scientist from the
Department of Animal and Human Physiology
Faculty of Biology
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,
Athens, Greece
Visiting scientist from the
Service de gériatrie
Département de médecine
Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé
Université de Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke (Québec) J1J 3H5, Canada
Visiting scientist from the
Academic Centre for General Practice – KULeuven
Institut de Recherche Santé et Société – UCLouvain
Leuven, Belgium
Biochemistry BSc Honours student
Visiting scientist from the
Newcastle University
Tel.: +49 7071 29-8 12 06
j.humes{@}newcastle.ac.uk
