Mass Lab

Mass Lab

@masslab.bsky.social

Based @LIMES Institute @University of Bonn, researching developmental immunology. We ❤️ macrophages!

839 followers670 following56 posts

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Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

We are SO EXCITED to share our story @nature.com: 🧵1/ Maternal obesity reprograms fetal liver macrophages, triggering adult fatty liver disease in the offspring. This study uncovers how Kupffer cells act as intergenerational messengers in metabolic disease. 👉 Read here: rdcu.be/erD3b

rdcu.beKupffer cell programming by maternal obesity triggers fatty liver diseaseNature - In a mouse model, maternal obesity during pregnancy can lead to fatty liver disease in the offspring, driven by aberrant developmental programming of Kuppfer cells.
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

Micro- and nanoplastics enter our bodies through food and water. But what happens once they pass through the gut barrier? In our new study in Nature Metabolism, we show that #Kupffer #cells, the resident #macrophages of the liver, are the main reservoir for ingested plastic.

Nature Portfolio@natureportfolio.nature.com

A study in Nature Metabolism reports that young make mice's chronic exposure to microplastic and nanoplastic particles differentially affects Kupffer cells, the liver-resident macrophages, which impairs their function and has consequences on both liver and systemic metabolism. 🧪

go.nature.comSize-dependent plastic exposure disrupts macrophage function and tissue-specific metabolism - Nature MetabolismThis study reports that chronic exposure to microplastic and nanoplastic particles differentially affects Kupffer cells, which impairs their function and has consequences on both liver and systemic metabolism.

Mass Lab reposted

Trends in Microbiology
@cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social

Game of microbes: a wildling’s guide

dlvr.itGame of microbes: a wildling’s guideLaboratory mice housed under specific pathogen-free conditions are the standard model in biomedical research. However, frequent germ-free rederivation and barrier housing restrict microbial exposure and interactions with commensal and pathogenic microorganisms. In contrast, wild mice encounter diverse microbial environments, undergo natural selection, and rely on robust immune responses for survival. Consequently, lifelong microbial exposure is a key driver in shaping mammalian physiology, establishing the need for naturalizing rodent models in biomedical research. By defining the concepts of ‘microbial self’ and ‘microbial nonself’, we propose a four-step guide for establishing a multigenerational wildling colony that accounts for both microbial self and microbial nonself. This reestablishes the common biological link shared by all free-living mammals, thereby improving the comparability between murine and human studies.

Mass Lab reposted

Stephan P. Rosshart
@srosshart.bsky.social

Please share! We hire PIs working in microbiome, metabolism, cancer, allergies, autoimmunity, neurological and infectious diseases. We offer SPF-, gnotobiotic- and wildling-models + generous lab space + top notch equip., e.g. SONY ID7000, 10X Xenium, MACSima. Contact: stephan.rosshart@uk-erlangen.de

Mass Lab reposted

Hao Huang
@haohuang0086.bsky.social

Fresh from Elvira Mass Lab @masslab.bsky.social. We are happy to share our thoughts on how maternal malnutrition can shape the development of offspring tissue-resident macrophages during early development. Happy reading!

Trends in Immunology@cp-trendsimmuno.bsky.social

Maternal diet shapes the development and identity of tissue-resident macrophages #immunology

dlvr.itMaternal diet shapes the development and identity of tissue-resident macrophagesThe developmental origins of health and diseases concept posits that early-life exposure to environmental adversities increases risks for diverse noncommunicable and infectious diseases. Among these adversities, maternal malnutrition is a critical determinant of offspring health trajectories. Maternal malnutrition from preconception to lactation can durably alter cellular and tissue function in the offspring. We propose that tissue-resident macrophages (TRMs) act as central mediators of this developmental programming. Seeding tissues during embryogenesis, integrating metabolic and hormonal signals, and persisting throughout life, TRMs can encode maternal nutritional states into lasting tissue adaptations. We summarize how specific maternal diets program distinct TRM subsets and how programmed TRMs link maternal nutritional statuses to disease susceptibility. TRMs may offer early intervention targets to improve offspring health.
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

Interested in #macrophages? Don't forget the check out this Seminar Series 👇

FOR5775 MagNet@for5775.bsky.social

WE ARE BACK FROM SUMMER BREAK for our next #MagNet #Seminar ⏰Monday, Oct 13th, 4 pm (CET) 🧑‍🔬Thomas Marichal 🗣️“Decoding the lung macrophage landscape: trajectories, niches and functions in health and disease" see poster and webpage for the #zoom link: macrophagenetwork.com/magnet-semin...

Mass Lab reposted

Julius Brennecke
@juliusbrennecke.bsky.social

The Vienna BioCenter PhD Program application deadline is approaching: October 10! Join one of Europe’s premier life science campuses, home to cutting-edge research across all areas of biology. Apply and start your scientific journey in Vienna! training.vbc.ac.at/phd-program/ #PhD #LifeSciences

training.vbc.ac.atPhD ProgramEmpowering Curious Researchers at the Vienna BioCenter PhD Program Are you a curious and motivated student looking to launch a successful scientific career? Look no further than the Vienna BioCenter P...
Julius Brennecke@juliusbrennecke.bsky.social

Love RNA biology? Join us to explore the piRNA pathway with structural and genetic approaches (see 👇👇). PhD student/postdoc position co-supervised by Clemens Plaschka & myself. DM or email us if you’d like to know more! @vbcscitraining.bsky.social @imbavienna.bsky.social @impvienna.bsky.social

Mass Lab reposted

WachtenLab
@wachtenlab.bsky.social

🚨 New in The EMBO Journal! Loss of BBS8 disrupts ciliary Hedgehog signaling, switching adipocyte precursors into fibrogenic cells—remodeling adipose tissue before obesity begins. 🔬 #BBS #cilia @for5547.bsky.social @sfb1454.bsky.social @batenergy.bsky.social 📄 www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

embopress.orgBBS8-dependent ciliary Hedgehog signaling governs cell fate in the white adipose tissue | The EMBO JournalimageimageDisruption of ciliogenesis in Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) leads to obesity and disrupted adipogenesis. This study reveals that ciliary dysfunction in a mouse model of BBS induces a a cell fa...

Mass Lab reposted

Michael Silverman
@michael-silverman.bsky.social

Out today! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... From @kknoop.bsky.social & myself on early life immune development & the beautiful publication from Megan Koch & M Shenoy www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Take home message: timing of early life exposures, milk IgG here, is critical for immune development.

science.orgSetting the table for immune toleranceInteraction between breast milk antibodies and gut microbes shape immune responses during weaning
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

🧠 New book chapter out! We review the developmental origin and functional diversity of #microglia - key players at the crossroads of #immunity and #neurodevelopment. 🔹 Ontogeny & specialization 🔹 Transcriptional & metabolic shifts 🔹 Roles in disease & repair 👉 authors.elsevier.com/a/1lKxcErwXf...

Eliana Franco Taveras@elianafranco.bsky.social

Microglia and CNS macrophages are multifaceted cells! We are excited to share our published chapter in Advances in Immunology. If you are curious about where these cells come from and what roles they play; you can access it here: lnkd.in/egqqUYQT Link valid until August 16! @masslab.bsky.social

sciencedirect.comOntogeny and function of microglia and nerve-associated macrophagesMacrophages are essential immune cells that arise early during embryogenesis and persist as tissue-resident cells into adulthood. This chapter explore…
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

1/ 💡We are excited to share our latest paper, continuing our exploration of how maternal obesity programs offspring health via #macrophages - this time using #Drosophila as a model: shorturl.at/28tFo #MaternalObesity #Drosophila #Neurodegeneration #DOHaD #FlyResearch #MacrophageBiology

shorturl.atDevelopmental programming by maternal obesity alters offspring lifespan and immune responses in a diet- and sex-specific mannerMaternal obesity is a growing health concern that predisposes offspring to metabolic dysfunction, immune system alterations, and neurodegenerative dis…
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Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

3/ This work builds on our previous findings published in @nature.com (Huang et al., 2025), where we showed that yolk sac-derived Kupffer cells mediate fetal liver programming in obese pregnancies, driving fatty liver disease in adulthood (www.nature.com/articles/s41...)

nature.comKupffer cell programming by maternal obesity triggers fatty liver disease - NatureIn a mouse model, maternal obesity during pregnancy can lead to fatty liver disease in the offspring, driven by aberrant developmental programming of Kuppfer cells.
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

1/ 💡We are excited to share our latest paper, continuing our exploration of how maternal obesity programs offspring health via #macrophages - this time using #Drosophila as a model: shorturl.at/28tFo #MaternalObesity #Drosophila #Neurodegeneration #DOHaD #FlyResearch #MacrophageBiology

shorturl.atDevelopmental programming by maternal obesity alters offspring lifespan and immune responses in a diet- and sex-specific mannerMaternal obesity is a growing health concern that predisposes offspring to metabolic dysfunction, immune system alterations, and neurodegenerative dis…
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

2/In this study, we uncover how maternal diet in flies(corresponding to maternal obesity in mammals) disrupts #neuronal integrity and #immune function in offspring. We identify axon #degeneration and shortened #lifespan, linking maternal overnutrition to long-term health consequences.

Mass Lab reposted

Dr. Anusha Seneviratne
@anushans.bsky.social

🧪 One month until the application deadline. Get in touch if you are interested ⬇️ #immunosky #cardiosky #academicsky #ecr #studyintheuk

Dr. Anusha Seneviratne@anushans.bsky.social

🧪 I am offering projects to study how air pollution affects vascular inflammation as part of Royal Holloway's MSc degree in Biological Sciences research. Contact me if you are interested in applying. www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and... #immunosky #cardiosky #idsky #academicsky #academicchatter

royalholloway.ac.ukMasters by Research in Biological Sciences at Royal HollowayExplore our internationally-renowned masters with specialist staff and breakthrough research
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

We are SO EXCITED to share our story @nature.com: 🧵1/ Maternal obesity reprograms fetal liver macrophages, triggering adult fatty liver disease in the offspring. This study uncovers how Kupffer cells act as intergenerational messengers in metabolic disease. 👉 Read here: rdcu.be/erD3b

rdcu.beKupffer cell programming by maternal obesity triggers fatty liver diseaseNature - In a mouse model, maternal obesity during pregnancy can lead to fatty liver disease in the offspring, driven by aberrant developmental programming of Kuppfer cells.
View full thread
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

We are SO EXCITED to share our story @nature.com: 🧵1/ Maternal obesity reprograms fetal liver macrophages, triggering adult fatty liver disease in the offspring. This study uncovers how Kupffer cells act as intergenerational messengers in metabolic disease. 👉 Read here: rdcu.be/erD3b

rdcu.beKupffer cell programming by maternal obesity triggers fatty liver diseaseNature - In a mouse model, maternal obesity during pregnancy can lead to fatty liver disease in the offspring, driven by aberrant developmental programming of Kuppfer cells.
View full thread
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

10/ 🚨 Implication: We identify a therapeutic window during gestation to target fetal KC programming — potentially preventing metabolic liver disease in later life.

Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

11/ 🧠 This aligns with the concept of DOHaD (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease) — and adds tissue-resident macrophages to the list of intergenerational regulators.

Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

We are SO EXCITED to share our story @nature.com: 🧵1/ Maternal obesity reprograms fetal liver macrophages, triggering adult fatty liver disease in the offspring. This study uncovers how Kupffer cells act as intergenerational messengers in metabolic disease. 👉 Read here: rdcu.be/erD3b

rdcu.beKupffer cell programming by maternal obesity triggers fatty liver diseaseNature - In a mouse model, maternal obesity during pregnancy can lead to fatty liver disease in the offspring, driven by aberrant developmental programming of Kuppfer cells.
View full thread
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

9/ This work shifts the paradigm: 🔁 FLD is not just a postnatal diet effect 🧬 It can originate from developmental #macrophage programming — long before birth

Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

We are SO EXCITED to share our story @nature.com: 🧵1/ Maternal obesity reprograms fetal liver macrophages, triggering adult fatty liver disease in the offspring. This study uncovers how Kupffer cells act as intergenerational messengers in metabolic disease. 👉 Read here: rdcu.be/erD3b

rdcu.beKupffer cell programming by maternal obesity triggers fatty liver diseaseNature - In a mouse model, maternal obesity during pregnancy can lead to fatty liver disease in the offspring, driven by aberrant developmental programming of Kuppfer cells.
View full thread
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

6/ Using a double fate-mapping model, we confirm that these disease-driving KCs remain yolk sac–derived — not replaced by monocyte-derived macrophages, as seen in diet-induced FLD.

Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

7/ Multi-omics profiling (bulk & single-nucleus RNA-seq + ATAC-seq + proteomics) revealed: ✅ Apolipoproteins ApoE and ApoA1 are upregulated in reprogrammed KCs ✅ They act via paracrine signaling to induce steatosis in hepatocytes

Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

We are SO EXCITED to share our story @nature.com: 🧵1/ Maternal obesity reprograms fetal liver macrophages, triggering adult fatty liver disease in the offspring. This study uncovers how Kupffer cells act as intergenerational messengers in metabolic disease. 👉 Read here: rdcu.be/erD3b

rdcu.beKupffer cell programming by maternal obesity triggers fatty liver diseaseNature - In a mouse model, maternal obesity during pregnancy can lead to fatty liver disease in the offspring, driven by aberrant developmental programming of Kuppfer cells.
View full thread
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

4/ Key finding: ⚙️ Maternal obesity induces a Hif1α-dependent switch in KC metabolism — from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis. This fuels aberrant apolipoprotein secretion, which drives lipid accumulation in the liver.

Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

5/ 💥 Strikingly, depleting KCs at birth and replacing them with monocytes from lean animals rescued the FLD phenotype — directly implicating programmed KCs as causal agents.

Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

We are SO EXCITED to share our story @nature.com: 🧵1/ Maternal obesity reprograms fetal liver macrophages, triggering adult fatty liver disease in the offspring. This study uncovers how Kupffer cells act as intergenerational messengers in metabolic disease. 👉 Read here: rdcu.be/erD3b

rdcu.beKupffer cell programming by maternal obesity triggers fatty liver diseaseNature - In a mouse model, maternal obesity during pregnancy can lead to fatty liver disease in the offspring, driven by aberrant developmental programming of Kuppfer cells.
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

2/ Kupffer cells are yolk sac–derived macrophages that colonize the fetal liver early in embryogenesis and play essential roles in metabolism and immune regulation. But what happens when their development is perturbed in utero by maternal obesity?

Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

3/ Using a mouse model, we show that maternal obesity causes long-term transcriptional, metabolic & epigenetic changes in KCs. These reprogrammed KCs persist into adulthood and promote lipid accumulation in hepatocytes, leading to fatty liver disease (FLD).

Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

The #Rosshart Lab goes wild again! Ever wondered whether using #Wildlings in our research would change the outcome of our results? 🤔💡 #immunosky @fau.de www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.comLaboratory mice engrafted with natural gut microbiota possess a wildling-like phenotype - Nature CommunicationsHere, the authors apply a standardized system, called TXsystem, to transplant wild mouse gut microbiota into SPF mice, developing “TXwildlings” mice that stably retain natural microbiota and human-lik...
Mass Lab
@masslab.bsky.social

Super happy to be part of this initiative! Together with @agvazquez.bsky.social we will be working on the interaction between #Alveolar #Macrophages and #Epithelial #Cells in the #lung Still time left to apply!! www.linkedin.com/posts/elvira... #immunosky

linkedin.com📢📢📢 Only 1 week left to apply! | Elvira Mass📢📢📢 Only 1 week left to apply! 2 #PhD Positions Available within the Priority Programme “Heterotypic Cell-Cell Interactions in Epithelial Tissues (HetCCI)” (SPP 2493) funded by Deutsche Forschungsg...
HetCCI (SPP 2493)@hetcci.bsky.social

Proud to kick-off #HetCCI, a DFG-funded research consortium in Germany (Priority Programme #SPP2493 on heterotypic cell-cell interactions in epithelia). Follow us if interested in how epithelial cells interact with non-epithelial tissues in different settings! Webpage will follow asap. #cellbiology