:::
Sebastian D. Fugmann Ph.D.

Sebastian D. Fugmann Ph.D.

JobTitle： Professor

CurrentJob： Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University

E-mail： sdfugmann@mail.cgu.edu.tw

Phone： 03-2118800 #3478

Education： Ph.D., University of Ulm, Germany

Expertise： Molecular Immunology, DNA recombination and repair

Website： https://sites.google.com/view/fugmann-lab/home

Employment Records

2013-now             Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, ,
                             , Taiwan

2019-2020           Director, Center for International Academic Cooperation,
                             Chang Gung University, Taiwan
2018-2019            Deputy Director, Center for International Academic Cooperation,
                             Chang Gung University, Taiwan

2004-2013           Investigator, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology
                            (formerly: Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology), National

                            Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health,


Education

1998-2004  Postdoctoral Fellow, , , Immunology (D.G. Schatz)

1998           Ph.D., , Human Biology (K. Schwarz & C.R. Bartram)

1990           B.Sc. (Vordiplom), , Chemistry

Research Interests

All multicellular organisms are constantly challenged by a plethora of pathogens and thus require protection to survive. The defense mechanisms can be broadly divided into the "innate" and the "adaptive" immune systems. The former relies on the recognition of conserved pathogen associated molecular patterns whereas the latter utilizes randomly generated antigen receptors, immunoglobulins (Igs) and T cell receptors (TCRs), without pre-defined specificities. The central theme of my laboratory is to understand the evolution of immune systems including the events that led to the emergence of adaptive immunity and lymphocytes in the common ancestor of all vertebrates.

 

Why is this important? New human infectious diseases emerge when a pathogen jumps from its natural host – typically an animal – to a human individual. Importantly, the immune system of the natural host evolved to tolerate this microorganism, while our own immune system has not. Understanding how a natural host does so will identify novel strategies for treatments of novel infectious diseases.

 

We currently focused on three distinct themes using four unique model systems (two sea urchins, one sea anemone, and one fish):

1) The evolution of immune genes including cytokines

We identify invertebrate homologs of mammalian immune genes using a variety of bioinformatics screens and study the properties and functions of these candidates in mammalian cell line models and in vivo.

 

2) The evolution of innate immune cell types

Mammalian immune systems rely on a large variety of distinct immune cells that can be easily isolated and studied using flow cytometry. These cells are thought to have evolved from their invertebrate ancestors, but little is known about invertebrate immune cell populations except for morphological features that are used to classify them. We are now trying to define these ancestries based on the conservation of the gene expression profiles.

 

3) The immune system of the Formosan land-locked salmon

This critically endangered fish is one of the natural treasures of Taiwan. Its unique and very short evolutionary history – getting isolated from its Japanese cousins only after the last ice age – allows us to study how fast immune genes adjust to adjust to a new environment and lifestyle.

Publications

  • Li YR, Ling LB, Chao A, Fugmann SD*, Yang SY. Transient chromatin decompaction at the start of D. melanogaster  male embryonic germline development. Life Sci Alliance. 2024 Jul 11;7(10):e202302401.
  • Liu MC, Fugmann SD*. Measuring Mutator Enzyme Activity Using an E. coli-Based Colony Formation Assay. Methods Mol Biol. 2022;2421:103-114.
  • Li YR, Lai HW, Huang HH, Chen HC, Fugmann SD, Yang SY. Trajectory mapping of the early Drosophila germline reveals controls of zygotic activation and sex differentiation. Genome Res. 2021 Jun;31(6):1011-1023.
  • Liu MC, Liao WY, Buckley KM, Yang SY, Rast JP, Fugmann SD*. AID/APOBEC-like cytidine deaminases are ancient innate immune mediators in invertebrates. Nat Commun. 2018 May 16;9(1):1948.
  • Wang XR, Ling LB, Huang HH, Lin JJ, Fugmann SD, Yang SY. Evidence for parallel evolution of a gene involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis. Proc Biol Sci. 2017 May 31;284(1855):20170324.
  • Carmona LM, Fugmann SD, Schatz DG. Collaboration of RAG2 with RAG1-like proteins during the evolution of V(D)J recombination. Genes Dev. 2016 Apr 15;30(8):909-17.
  • Fugmann SD*. Form follows function - the three-dimensional structure of antigen receptor gene loci. Curr Opin Immunol. 2014 Apr;27:33-7.
  • Kothapalli NR, Collura KM, Norton DD, Fugmann SD*. Separation of mutational and transcriptional enhancers in Ig genes. J Immunol. 2011 Sep 15;187(6):3247-55.
  • Fugmann SD*. RAG-2 unleashed: lymphocytes beware. Immunity. 2011 Feb 25;34(2):137-9.
  • Delker RK, Fugmann SD, Papavasiliou FN. A coming-of-age story: activation-induced cytidine deaminase turns 10. Nat Immunol. 2009 Nov;10(11):1147-53.
  • Gopal AR, Fugmann SD*. AID-mediated diversification within the IgL locus of chicken DT40 cells is restricted to the transcribed IgL gene. Mol Immunol. 2008 Apr;45(7):2062-8.
  • Yang SY, Fugmann SD, Schatz DG. Control of gene conversion and somatic hypermutation by immunoglobulin promoter and enhancer sequences. J Exp Med. 2006 Dec 25;203(13):2919-28.
  • Fugmann SD, Messier C, Novack LA, Cameron RA, Rast JP. An ancient evolutionary origin of the Rag1/2 gene locus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Mar 7;103(10):3728-33.