New Paper - A27 Hornung/Carell & A05 Hopfner

Activation of innate immunity: Important piece of the puzzle identified

Veit Hornung (A27) and his team in collaboration with Thomas Carell (A27) and Karl-Peter Hopfner (A05) have deciphered the complex interplay of various enzymes around the innate immune receptor toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), which plays an important role in defending our bodies against viruses.

Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), located in the dendritic cells of our immune system, plays a crucial role in our natural defense against viruses. TLR7 recognizes single-stranded viral and other foreign RNA and activates the release of inflammatory mediators. Dysfunctions of this receptor also play a key role in autoimmune diseases, making it all the more important to understand, and ideally modulate, the exact activation mechanism of TLR7.

The researchers have now managed to gain deeper insights into the complex activation mechanism. It was known from earlier studies that complex RNA molecules have to be cut up first so that the receptor is able to recognize them. Using a wide range of technologies from cell biology to cryogenic electron microscopy, the LMU researchers have revealed how single-stranded foreign RNA is processed to be detected by TLR7. Their work has been published in the journal Immunity.