AG Munschauer

Mathias Munschauer
Head of the Department
"MOLECULAR VIROLOGY"

Phone: +49 (0)6221-56 4225
Fax: +49 (0)6221-56 4570

Research Team Members

RESEARCH

The Munschauer Lab aims to achieve a highly resolved spatial and temporal understanding of RNA regulatory events that determine the success or failure of viral infection.

We are particularly interested in learning how viral RNA molecules interface with the host cell, and how RNA-binding proteins shape the fate of viral RNA to control replication, immune evasion, and infection outcome.

To dissect these processes, we apply a systems-level, RNA-centric strategy that integrates quantitative mass spectrometry, functional genomics, and single-cell transcriptomics data. We use innovative interactomics technologies developed in our lab, such as RAP-MS (LINK: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-020-00846-z) and SHIFTR (LINK: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkae038), to uncover interaction signatures that define the functional and regulatory dependencies of any viral RNA of interest. By examining these interaction signatures across diverse RNA viruses and throughout their infection cycle, we gain critical insights into the viral RNA replication program and its reliance on specific viral and host factors.

Complementing our work in the area of RNA interactomics, we employ functional inference strategies that combine pooled CRISPR screening, single-cell transcriptomics, and live-cell imaging. By integrating AI and machine learning into the analysis of these high-dimensional data, we identify regulatory pathways and cellular programs relevant to viral infection, guiding the development of innovative strategies to interfere with viral replication.