Trial lecture: 'Haematopoiesis'
Time and place: June 25, 2024 10:15 AM, Auditorium 1 (U182), Kristine Bonnevies hus
Main research findings:
Atlantic cod has a peculiar immune system with gene losses and expansions of their Toll-like receptor (TLR) repertoire as well as lacking the major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II)-presenting machinery, a loss that in mammals leads to severe immunosuppression and death. Interestingly while having lost the MHC II-system, Atlantic cod has an extreme expansion of their MHC I gene repertoire with 80-100 gene copies. As the two systems are interlinked by cross-presentation, a hypothesis has been that the expanded MHC I-gene repertoire could compensate for the loss of MHC II. In my PhD I have investigated this hypothesis and found that the Atlantic cod MHC I variants behave differently from human MHC I by locating to late endosomes that share characteristic with mammalian MHC II compartments, thus supporting the hypothesis of MHC I cross-presentation. However, our research indicates that Atlantic cod might operate differently than simply cross-presenting and that a hybrid solution might be at play. In my PhD I have also characterized three Atlantic cod TLRs, including an expanded TLR, demonstrating compensation to TLR losses.
In sum, our findings highlight the potential flexibility and plasticity of the adaptive immune system, shedding new light onto what a functional immune system can be.
Adjudication committee
Ass. Prof. Ilana Berlin, Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University
Prof. Tobias Lenz, University of Hamburg
Prof. Dirk Linke, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Chair of defense
Prof. Finn-Eirik Johansen, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Supervisors
Prof. Cinzia Progida, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Prof. Emeritus Oddmund Bakke, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Researcher Sissel Jentoft, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo
Postdoc. Monica Hongrø Solbakken, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)