For his doctoral thesis, Alexander Rotsch investigated a molecular biological “criminal case”: the theft of mRNA caps by influenza viruses. Caps mark mRNAs as cell-derived molecules and thus as harmless. If a cap is missing, the immune system recognizes the mRNA as foreign and potentially harmful – and triggers an antiviral response that degrades the RNA. The caps are therefore essential for the protection of mRNA molecules. To camouflage itself from the immune system, the influenza virus has developed an insidious method: It steals the human mRNA caps while they are still being produced by a specialized protein. However, the molecular details of how this theft occurs were previously unknown.
For this project of his dissertation, Rotsch used biochemical and electron microscopy techniques to gain a deeper understanding of this virus-host interaction. He succeeded in catching the proteins of the influenza virus in the act. In the process, he discovered two previously unknown protein-protein interactions between influenza and human proteins. With his findings, Rotsch was able to fill fundamental gaps in our understanding of the life cycle of the influenza virus, thereby contributing to the development of new therapeutic strategies against the virus.
Alexander Rotsch studied biochemistry at the University of Göttingen. He completed his master’s degree at the International Max Planck Research School for Molecular Biology in Göttingen. In 2024, he completed his doctorate in the Department of Molecular Biology led by Patrick Cramer at the MPI for Multidisciplinary Sciences. Rotsch is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg and at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research in Basel.
