Prof. Dr. Jochen Hühn participates in RESIST research projects A3 and B1.

My Research Interest in RESIST

Within RESIST we study the impact of microbiota during the neonatal period on the development, maturation and functional specialization of the gastrointestinal and systemic immune system, which is determining the individual’s immune status and susceptibility towards infectious diseases long- lastingly. Although it is widely accepted that microbiota are critically involved in this process, a detailed understanding of the involved microbial communities and microbiota-derived metabolites is still lacking.

Our research programme is based on our recent finding that early-life colonization by microbiota results in an epigenetic imprinting of unique functional properties within the gastrointestinal immune system and that neonatal infections can interfere with this process. Our long-term goal is to contribute to the development of therapeutic strategies based on early-life microbiome editing leading to a better development, maturation and functional specialization of the gastrointestinal and systemic immune system, thereby improving the health status of individuals long-lastingly.

Prof. Hühn about his scientific work

This Video was recorded in 2021.

Prof. Dr. Jochen Hühn – Curriculum Vitae

Current Position

  • Since 2008 Full (W3) Professor of Experimental Immunology, MHH and Head of Department Experimental Immunology, HZI

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Training

  • 1991 – 1996 Study of Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, University of Hamburg

  • 1996 Diploma, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNI), Hamburg

  • 1996 – 1999 Dissertation at BNI, Hamburg

  • 1999 Dr. rer. nat. (PhD)

  • 2000 Postdoctoral fellow at BNI, Hamburg

  • 2000 – 2006 Postdoctoral fellow “Experimental Rheumatology”, Charité University Medicine, Berlin

Academic and Research Posts

  • 2006 – 2008 Junior Professor for Immune Regulation, Charité University Medicine, Berlin

  • Since 2008 Full (W3) Professor of Experimental Immunology, MHH and Head of Department Experimental Immunology, HZI

Other Scientific Roles

  • Since 1997 Member, German Society of Immunology

  • 2007 – 2019 Organizer, annual German Meeting on Immune Regulation

  • 2010 – 2022 Board Member, CRC 854

  • 2011 – 2019 Board Member, CRC 738

  • Since 2012 Organizer, annual European Midwinter Workshop on Immunology

  • 2014 – 2022 Advisory Board Member, German Society of Immunology

  • 2015 – 2019 Coordinator, EU-funded Innovative Training Network ENLIGHT-TEN

  • 2017 – 2020 SAB member of EU-funded Innovative Training Network COSMIC

  • Since 2017 Co-Spokesperson, EFIS Study Group “T cell connect Europe”

  • Since 2019 Board Member, Excellence-Cluster RESIST

  • Since 2021 Coordinator, EU-funded Innovative Training Network ENLIGHT-TEN+

Awards and Prizes

  • 2002 Avrion Mitchison Award for Rheumatism Research

  • 2007 Wolfgang Schulze Award for Rheumatism Research

  • 2007 Langener Science Award

Recommended Links

For further information about Prof. Hühn’s scientific work please check the following links:

10 Selected Publications

Zou M, Pezoldt J, Mohr J, Philipsen L, Leufgen A, Cerovic V, Wiechers C, Pils M, Ortiz D, Hao L, Yang J, Beckstette M, Dupont A, Hornef M, Dersch P, Strowig T, Müller AJ, Raila J, Huehn J. Early-life vitamin A treatment rescues neonatal infection-induced durably impaired tolerogenic properties of celiac lymph nodes. Cell Rep. 2024 May 28;43(5):114153. Epub 2024 Apr 29.

Pezoldt, J.*, Wiechers, C.*, Zou, M., Litovchenko, M., Biocanin, M., Beckstette, M., Sitnik, K., Palatella, M., van Mierlo, G., Chen, W., Gardeux, V., Floess, S., Ebel, M., Russeil, J., Arampatzi, P., Vafardanejad, E., Saliba, A.E., Deplancke, B., and Huehn, J. (2022). Postnatal expansion of mesenteric lymph node stromal cells towards reticular and CD34+ stromal cell subsets. Nat Commun 13, 7227. PMID: 36433946 Open Access

Nikolouli, E., Elfaki, Y., Herppich, S., Schelmbauer, C., Delacher, M., Falk, C., Mufazalov, I.A., Waisman, A., Feuerer, M., and Huehn, J. (2021). Recirculating IL 1R2+ Tregs fine-tune intrathymic Treg development under inflammatory conditions. Cell Mol Immunol 18, 182-193. PMID: 31988493

Wiechers, C., Zou, M., Galvez, E., Beckstette, M., Ebel, M., Strowig, T., Huehn, J., and Pezoldt, J. (2021). The microbiota is dispensable for the early stages of peripheral regulatory T cell induction within mesenteric lymph nodes. Cell Mol Immunol 18, 1211-1221. PMID: 33762684 Open Access

Pezoldt, J., Pasztoi, M., Zou, M., Wiechers, C., Beckstette, M., Thierry, G.R., Vafadarnejad, E., Floess, S., Arampatzi, P., Buettner, M., Schweer, J., Fleissner, D., Vital, M., Pieper, D.H., Basic, M., Dersch, P., Strowig, T., Hornef, M., Bleich, A., Bode, U., Pabst, O., Bajenoff, M., Saliba, A.E., and Huehn, J. (2018). Neonatally imprinted stromal cell subsets induce tolerogenic dendritic cells in mesenteric lymph nodes. Nat Commun 9, 3903. PMID: 30254319 Open Access

Pasztoi, M., Bonifacius, A., Pezoldt, J., Kulkarni, D., Niemz, J., Yang, J., Teich, R., Hajek, J., Pisano, F., Rohde, M., Dersch, P., and Huehn, J. (2017). Yersinia pseudotuberculosis supports Th17 differentiation and limits de novo regulatory T cell induction by directly interfering with T cell receptor signaling. Cell Mol Life Sci 74, 2839-2850. PMID: 28378044 Open Access

Yang, B.H., Floess, S., Hagemann, S., Deyneko, I.V., Groebe, L., Pezoldt, J., Sparwasser, T., Lochner, M., and Huehn, J. (2015). Development of a unique epigenetic signature during in vivo Th17 differentiation. Nucleic Acids Res 43, 1537-1548. PMID: 25593324 Open Access

Cording, S.*, Wahl, B.*, Kulkarni, D., Chopra, H., Pezoldt, J., Buettner, M., Dummer, A., Hadis, U., Heimesaat, M., Bereswill, S., Falk, C., Bode, U., Hamann, A., Fleissner, D., Huehn, J.*, and Pabst, O*. (2014). The intestinal micro-environment imprints stromal cells to promote efficient Treg induction in gut-draining lymph nodes. Mucosal Immunol 7, 359-368. PMID: 23945546 Open Access

Floess, S., Freyer, J., Siewert, C., Baron, U., Olek, S., Polansky, J., Schlawe, K., Chang, H.D., Bopp, T., Schmitt, E., Klein-Hessling, S., Serfling, E., Hamann, A., and Huehn, J. (2007). Epigenetic control of the foxp3 locus in regulatory T cells. PLoS Biol 5, e38. PMID: 17298177 Open Access

Huehn, J., Siegmund, K., Lehmann, J.C., Siewert, C., Haubold, U., Feuerer, M., Debes, G.F., Lauber, J., Frey, O., Przybylski, G.K., Niesner, U., de la Rosa, M., Schmidt, C.A., Brauer, R., Buer, J., Scheffold, A., and Hamann, A. (2004). Developmental stage, phenotype, and migration distinguish naive- and effector/memory-like CD4+ regulatory T cells. J Exp Med 199, 303-313. PMID: 14757740

Contact

  Prof. Dr. Jochen Hühn
  „Experimental Immunology“,
Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI)
  Inhoffenstraße 7
38124 Braunschweig
  +49 531 6181-3310
  Jochen.Huehn
@helmholtz-hzi.de