Tobias Bopp

Regulation of T Cell Responses in Disease

The major focus of research in my laboratory is the regulation of T cell responses in a context- and tissue-specific manner. Here, we focus particularly on the functional and molecular characterisation of cell differentiation and function in CD4⁺FOXP3⁺ regulatory T (T_REG) cells and CD4⁺ T Helper (T_H) cells, and non-classical ways of communication between non-hematopoietic cells and cells of myeloid and lymphoid origin.

Age-related deviations of the immune system contribute to a higher probability of infections, cancer and autoimmunity in the elderly. These age-related diseases share some basic mechanistic pillars that largely converge on defects in T cell responsiveness.

While the numbers and functionality of conventional CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T cells steadily decrease during ageing, a subpopulation of T cells, namely CD4⁺FOXP3⁺ regulatory T (T_REG) cells, which are known for their immunoregulatory capabilities, seems to steadily increase with age. Yet little is known about their role in immune ageing and the development of age-related diseases. We aim to decipher the cellular and molecular mechanisms of T_REG cell development and function during ageing and in health and disease.

Research website

Positions held

Since 2019: Full Professor (W3) and Chair, IFI, University Medical Center (UMC), Mainz
2012 - 2019: Associate Professor (W2) for “Molecular immunology”, University Medical Center (UMC), Mainz
2008 - 2012: Head of a scientific working group, IFI, University Medical Center (UMC), Mainz
2006 - 2008: Postdoctoral Fellow, IFI, University Medical Center (UMC), Mainz

Education

2003 - 2006: Doctoral thesis (Dr. rer. nat.), IFI, University Medical Center (UMC), Mainz
1997 - 2003: Studies of biology (Diploma), Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU), Mainz

Selected publications by Tobias Bopp

Johann K*, Bohn T*, Shahneh F*, Luther N, Birke A, Jaurich H, Helm M, Klein M, Raker VK, Bopp T^#, Barz M^# and Becker C^# (2021) Therapeutic melanoma inhibition by local micelle-mediated cyclic nucleotide repression. Nat Commun, 12:5981 Link *indicates joint contribution, ^#indicates joint correspondence

Bohn T, Rapp S, Luther N, Klein M, Bruehl TJ, Kojima N, Aranda Lopez P, Hahlbrock J, Muth S, Endo S, Pektor S, Brand A, Renner K, Popp V, Gerlach K, Vogel D, Lueckel C, Arnold-Schild D, Pouyssegur J, Kreutz M, Huber M, Koenig J, Weigmann B, Probst HC, von Stebut E, Becker C, Schild H, Schmitt E and Bopp T (2018) Tumor immunoevasion via acidosis dependent induction of regulatory tumor-associated macrophages. Nat Immun, 19:1319–1329 Link

Ulges A, Witsch EJ, Pramanik G, Klein M, Birkner K, Bühler U, Wasser B, LuessiF, Stergiou N, Dietzen S, Brühl TJ, Bohn T, Bündgen G, Kunz H, Waisman A, Schild H, Schmitt E, Zipp F and Bopp T (2016) Protein kinase CK2 governs the molecular decision between encephalitogenic TH17 cell and Treg cell development. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 113:10145–50 Link

Ulges A, Klein M, Reuter S, Gerlitzki B, Hoffmann M, Grebe N, Staudt V, Stergiou N, Bohn T, Brühl TJ, Muth S, Yurugi H, Rajalingam K, Bellinghausen I, Tuettenberg A, Hahn S, Reißig S, Haben I, Zipp F, Waisman A, Probst HC, Beilhack A, Buchou T, Filhol-Cochet O, Boldyreff B, Breloer M, Jonuleit H, Schild H, Schmitt E and Bopp T (2015) Protein kinase CK2 enables regulatory T cells to suppress excessive TH2 responses in vivo. Nat Immun, 16:267–75 Link

Staudt V, Bothur E, Klein M, Lingnau K, Reuter S, Grebe N, Gerlitzki B, Hoffmann M, Ulges A, Taube C, Dehzad N, Becker M, Stassen M, Steinborn A, Lohoff M, Schild H, Schmitt E and Bopp T (2010) Interferon-regulatory factor 4 is essential for the developmental program of T helper 9 cells. Immunity, 33:192–202 Link