AG Berod
Current Research
The immune system operates in a highly coordinated manner to protect the body against pathogens and foreign substances. Disruptions in this balance can lead to chronic infections, autoimmune diseases, or cancer.
At the Immune Modulation group of the Paul Klein Center for Immune Intervention at UMC Mainz, we investigate how metabolic changes influence immune cell function and how targeting metabolic pathways can offer new therapeutic strategies.
Research Focus:
Metabolism and Immune Function: We study how metabolic pathways regulate key immune cells, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs) and dendritic cells, in various inflammatory, infectious, and autoimmune disease models.
T Cell Regulation in Autoimmune Diseases: Our research focuses on the balance between Tregs and inflammatory T cells (Th17). We have demonstrated that de novo fatty acid synthesis (FAS) is essential for Th17 development and that modulating this pathway has therapeutic potential for autoimmune diseases and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Furthermore, we investigate how metabolic pathways influence immune responses during infections, where excessive activation can cause tissue damage.
Immune Tolerance and Celiac Disease: As part of the TRR355 consortium, we explore the role of Tregs in gluten-induced inflammation in celiac disease (CeD). We examine how various factors, including microbiota, metabolism, and intestinal barrier integrity, contribute to CeD pathogenesis and its link to other autoimmune diseases.
Our goal is to understand the mechanisms regulating immune responses to develop innovative strategies for treating inflammatory, infectious, and autoimmune diseases.
Other activities: Speaker EFIS Study Group on Immunometabolism. www.efis.org
Selected Publications
Selected Publications
For a complete and up to dated publication list see Pubmed= https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Berod+L
ACC1 is a dual metabolic-epigenetic regulator of Treg stability and immune tolerance. Stüve P, Godoy GJ, Ferreyra FN, Hellriegel F, Boukhallouk F, Kao YS, More TH, Matthies AM, Akimova T, Abraham WR, Kaever V, Schmitz I, Hiller K, Lochner M, Salomon BL, Beier UH, Rehli M, Sparwasser T, Berod L.. Mol Metab. 2025 Apr;94:102111.
Inhibition of Mitochondrial Translation Ameliorates Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis-Like Skin Inflammation by Targeting Vγ4+ γδ T Cells. Dhillon-LaBrooy A, Braband KL, Tantawy E, Rampoldi F, Kao YS, Boukhallouk F, Velasquez LN, Mamareli P, Silva L, Damasceno LEA, Weidenthaler-Barth B, Berod L, Almeida L, Sparwasser T. J Invest Dermatol. 2024 Apr;144(4):844-854.e2..
Targeting ACC1 in T cells ameliorates psoriatic skin inflammation.
Kao YS, Mamareli P, Dhillon-LaBrooy A, Stüve P, Godoy GJ, Velasquez LN, Raker VK, Weidenthaler-Barth B, Boukhallouk F, Rampoldi F, Berod L, Sparwasser T.
J Mol Med (Berl). 2023 Sep;101(9):1153-1166.
Regulation of DC metabolism by nitric oxide in murine GM-CSF cultures. Minarrieta L, Godoy GJ, Velazquez LN, Ghorbani P, Sparwasser T, Berod L. Eur J Immunol. 2023 Feb;53(2):e2149691.
Guidelines for mouse and human DC functional assays. Clausen BE, Amon L, Backer RA, Berod L, Bopp T, Brand A, Burgdorf S, Chen L, Da M, Distler U, Dress RJ, Dudziak D, Dutertre CA, Eich C, Gabele A, Geiger M, Ginhoux F, Giusiano L, Godoy GJ, Hamouda AEI, Hatscher L, Heger L, Heidkamp GF, Hernandez LC, Jacobi L, Kaszubowski T, Kong WT, Lehmann CHK, López-López T, Mahnke K, Nitsche D, Renkawitz J, Reza RA, Sáez PJ, Schlautmann L, Schmitt MT, Seichter A, Sielaff M, Sparwasser T, Stoitzner P, Tchitashvili G, Tenzer S, Tochoedo NR, Vurnek D, Zink F, Hieronymus T. Eur J Immunol. 2023 Dec;53(12):e2249925.
Guidelines for mouse and human DC generation. Lutz MB, Ali S, Audiger C, Autenrieth SE, Berod L, Bigley V, Cyran L, Dalod M, Dörrie J, Dudziak D, Flórez-Grau G, Giusiano L, Godoy GJ, Heuer M, Krug AB, Lehmann CHK, Mayer CT, Naik SH, Scheu S, Schreibelt G, Segura E, Seré K, Sparwasser T, Tel J, Xu H, Zenke M. Eur J Immunol. 2023 Nov;53(11):e2249816.
CD4+ T-cell differentiation and function: Unifying glycolysis, fatty acid oxidation, polyamines NAD mitochondria. Almeida L, Dhillon-LaBrooy A, Carriche G, Berod L, Sparwasser T. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2021 Jul;148(1):16-32
Dendritic cell metabolism: moving beyond in vitro-culture-generated paradigms. Minarrieta L, Velasquez LN, Sparwasser T, Berod L. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2021 Apr;68:202-212.
Ribosome-Targeting Antibiotics Impair T Cell Effector Function and Ameliorate Autoimmunity by Blocking Mitochondrial Protein Synthesis. Almeida L, Dhillon-LaBrooy A, Castro CN, Adossa N, Carriche GM, Guderian M, Lippens S, Dennerlein S, Hesse C, Lambrecht BN, Berod L, Schauser L, Blazar BR, Kalesse M, Müller R, Moita LF, Sparwasser T. Immunity. 2021 Jan 12;54(1):68-83.e6r
Targeting cellular fatty acid synthesis limits T helper and innate lymphoid cell function during intestinal inflammation and infection. Mamareli P, Kruse F, Lu CW, Guderian M, Floess S, Rox K, Allan DSJ, Carlyle JR, Brönstrup M, Müller R, Berod L, Sparwasser T, Lochner M. Mucosal Immunol. 2021 Jan;14(1):164-176.
Open Positions
Students interested in performing their voluntarily internships (with a minimal duration of X months) or Master thesis in our research group is welcome to contact Prof. Dr. Luciana Berod (berod@uni-mainz.de).
Lab Members
Alumni
Dr. rer. nat Lis Velasquez (Post-doc)
Dr. Philipp Stüve (PhD)
Dr. Alan Bernal (Post-doc)
Fernando Ferreyra (PhD candidate)
Bárbara Madeira (Master Student)
Florencia Hellriegel (PhD candidate)
Lucila Giusiano (PhD candidate)