Understanding how Self-RNA Sensing Shapes Human Immune Responses

A central concept in immunology is the idea that our immune system can selectively respond to non-self ligands, while evading immune responses against self-ligands. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are an essential component of this self vs. non-self recognition system as they are responsible for detecting non-self pathogens and activating appropriate immunological responses. A significant proportion of PRRs are specialized in detecting viral DNA or RNA. Since DNA and RNA are the basic building blocks of life across all species, an intriguing question emerges: Can PRRs detect self-DNA or RNA, and what is the biological significance? This is an especially critical question for RNAs, since endogenous RNAs share the same subcellular compartments with many PRRs. Our research program focuses on understanding how self-RNA sensing shapes human immune responses. We are interested in addressing the following key questions: