Prof. Thomas Boehm is the Director of the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, Germany. Prof. Boehm achieved groundbreaking advances in the study of the thymus. With the help of comparative studies of different animal species, essential properties of the immune systems of all vertebrates could be identified - in particular the structure of the immune system and the basis of its adaptability. Control mechanisms that cause the maturation and differentiation of immune cells were elucidated in the Boehm Lab. More recent work deals with the development and function of genetic networks that are required for immune tolerance in antigen detection in vertebrates and invertebrates. He will deliver the Cardiff University Science Seminar on Febr 3rd at 1pm UK time / 2pm CET.

Evolutionary Novelties in Vertebrate Immune Systems

The emergence of adaptive immune facilities in primordial vertebrates required a radical re-design of the ancient chordate immune system. Although both jawless and jawed vertebrates use the facility of somatic diversification of antigen receptor genes, the molecular building blocks and the mode of gene assembly differ, suggesting that somatic diversification independently evolved in the two sister branches of vertebrates. New findings underpinning this conclusion will be discussed.

It is thought that, after hundreds of millions of years of co-evolution in vertebrates, the functional inter-relationship of innate and adaptive facilities cannot be broken without detrimental consequences. To assess the degree of evolvability of vertebrate immune systems, we explore immunogenetic constellations of animals exhibiting extreme life-styles or inhabiting unusual ecological niches. The immunogenetic underpinnings of this trait will be discussed.

The finding that in some of these species, somatic diversification of antigen receptor genes, the hallmark of canonical adaptive immunity has been lost indicates that - against expectations - the coevolution of innate and adaptive immunity can be successfully disentangled and that vertebrate species can thrive on alternative forms of innate immunity.