AG Lech (Regulation of innate immunity)

Maciej Lech is a Professor of Experimental Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the LMU Hospital. He works on mechanisms of negative regulation of the immune system and inflammatory responses that balance homeostasis in tissues. These conserved mechanisms play a fundamental role in the training of the host immune system and the development of immune tolerance. The research of his group focuses largely on innate immunity mechanisms using in-vitro and in-vivo models that explore protein function, mechanisms of homeostasis, and loss of tolerance.

Qualifications

• Habilitation in Experimental Medicine, Medical Faculty, LMU Hospital 2012
• Ph.D. (Innate Immune Regulation) LMU Hospital 2008
• MSc (Biotechnology/Molecular Biology) Jagiellonian University in Cracow 2003

Biography

Maciej Lech studied biotechnology/molecular biology at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow. For his Master of Science (M.Sc.) project, he joined the immunology research group at the LMU. Later he analyzed the assembly of the mitochondrial complexes at the institute of physiological chemistry at the LMU in Munich. Subsequently, he pursued experiments in the field of innate immune regulation at the LMU Hospital and was awarded a Ph.D. for a thesis on the role of negative regulator SIGIRR in autoimmunity and inflammatory kidney diseases.

In the following years, he worked as a postdoc at the LMU Hospital and TUM in Munich. After his Habilitation in 2012, he acquired funding, established his research team at the LMU Hospital, and collaborated as a guest professor with the University of Cracow. Subsequently he explored new career opportunities and studied at the TUM-School of Management, where he graduated with an MBA. Presently he leads his research group and contributes to the LMU Hospital infrastructure as i.e. head of the experimental research units.

Teaching

• Ph.D. and M.D. students ‘Methods in experimental nephrology’

Postgraduate supervision

• 15+ previous Ph.D. and M.D. students
• 5 current MD students
• Future students will be welcomed

Research

• Regulation of inflammatory responses by negative regulators of diverse innate immune pattern recognition receptors (TLRs, NLRs, RLRs, CLRs, etc.)
• Maintaining of tissue homeostasis and disorders caused by an imbalance between triggers and negative regulators
• Regulation of inflammatory responses by autoimmune disease
• Role of immune regulation in acute and chronic kidney disease

Other activities

• Member of the editorial board, section Cellular Immunology, Journal Cells
• Guest Editor, Journal Frontiers in immunology
• Journal ad hoc reviewing: 20+ international peer-reviewed journals
• Grant reviewing/Scientific advisor: 10+ research grant councils

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Dobosz E, Lorenz G, Ribeiro A, Würf V, Wadowska M, Kotlinowski J, Schmaderer C, Potempa J, Fu M, Koziel J, Lech M. Murine myeloid cell MCPIP1 suppresses autoimmunity by regulating B-cell expansion and differentiation. Dis Model Mech. 2021 Mar 18;14(3):dmm047589. doi: 10.1242/dmm.047589. PMID: 33737335

Moschovaki-Filippidou F, Steiger S, Lorenz G, Schmaderer C, Ribeiro A, von Rauchhaupt E, Cohen CD, Anders HJ, Lindenmeyer M, Lech M. Growth Differentiation Factor 15 Ameliorates Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Glomerulonephritis in Mice. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Sep 23;21(19):6978. doi: 10.3390/ijms21196978. PMID: 32977372

Kober-Hasslacher M, Oh-Strauß H, Kumar D, Soberon V, Diehl C, Lech M, Engleitner T, Katab E, Fernández-Sáiz V, Piontek G, Li H, Menze B, Ziegenhain C, Enard W, Rad R, Böttcher JP, Anders HJ, Rudelius M, Schmidt-Supprian M. c-Rel gain in B cells drives germinal center reactions and autoantibody production. J Clin Invest. 2020 Jun 1;130(6):3270-3286. doi: 10.1172/JCI124382. PMID: 32191641 Free PMC article.

Lorenz G, Moschovaki-Filippidou F, Würf V, Metzger P, Steiger S, Batz F, Carbajo-Lozoya J, Koziel J, Schnurr M, Cohen CD, Schmaderer C, Anders HJ, Lindenmeyer M, Lech M. IFN Regulatory Factor 4 Controls Post-ischemic Inflammation and Prevents Chronic Kidney Disease. Front Immunol. 2019 Oct 1;10:2162. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02162. eCollection 2019. PMID: 31632388

Bryzek D, Ciaston I, Dobosz E, Gasiorek A, Makarska A, Sarna M, Eick S, Puklo M, Lech M, Potempa B, Potempa J, Koziel J. Triggering NETosis via protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 signaling as a mechanism of hijacking neutrophils function for pathogen benefits. PLoS Pathog. 2019 May 20;15(5):e1007773. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007773. eCollection 2019 May. PMID: 31107907

Honarpisheh M, Foresto-Neto O, Steiger S, Kraft F, Koehler P, von Rauchhaupt E, Potempa J, Adamowicz K, Koziel J, Lech M. Aristolochic acid I determine the phenotype and activation of macrophages in acute and chronic kidney disease. Sci Rep. 2018 Aug 15;8(1):12169. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-30628-x. PMID: 30111809

Steiger S, Kumar SV, Honarpisheh M, Lorenz G, Günthner R, Romoli S, Gröbmayr R, Susanti HE, Potempa J, Koziel J, Lech M. Immunomodulatory Molecule IRAK-M Balances Macrophage Polarization and Determines Macrophage Responses during Renal Fibrosis. J Immunol. 2017 Aug 15;199(4):1440-1452. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1601982. Epub 2017 Jul 12. PMID: 28701510

Jeltsch KM, Hu D, Brenner S, Zöller J, Heinz GA, Nagel D, Vogel KU, Rehage N, Warth SC, Edelmann SL, Gloury R, Martin N, Lohs C, Lech M, Stehklein JE, Geerlof A, Kremmer E, Weber A, Anders HJ, Schmitz I, Schmidt-Supprian M, Fu M, Holtmann H, Krappmann D, Ruland J, Kallies A, Heikenwalder M, Heissmeyer V. Cleavage of roquin and regnase-1 by the paracaspase MALT1 releases their cooperatively repressed targets to promote T(H)17 differentiation. Nat Immunol. 2014 Nov;15(11):1079-89. doi: 10.1038/ni.3008. Epub 2014 Oct 5. PMID: 25282160

Lech M, Lorenz G, Kulkarni OP, Grosser MO, Stigrot N, Darisipudi MN, Günthner R, Wintergerst MW, Anz D, Susanti HE, Anders HJ. NLRP3 and ASC suppress lupus-like autoimmunity by driving the immunosuppressive effects of TGF-β receptor signalling. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015 Dec;74(12):2224-35. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-205496. Epub 2014 Aug 18. PMID: 25135254

Neumann K, Castiñeiras-Vilariño M, Höckendorf U, Hannesschläger N, Lemeer S, Kupka D, Meyermann S, Lech M, Anders HJ, Kuster B, Busch DH, Gewies A, Naumann R, Groß O, Ruland J. Clec12a is an inhibitory receptor for uric acid crystals that regulates inflammation in response to cell death. Immunity. 2014 Mar 20;40(3):389-99. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2013.12.015. Epub 2014 Mar 13. PMID: 24631154

Pubmed