Located on the historical campus of Charité University Hospital in Berlin (Germany), the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens investigates fundamental mechanisms of regulation in processes of infection and immunity with a focus on Gram-positive bacterial human pathogens. We are interested in understanding how RNAs and proteins control cellular processes on the transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational level. We study regulatory RNAs and proteins in various biological pathways such as horizontal gene transfer, adaptation to stress, physiology, persistence, virulence, infection and immunity. In particular, we do research on interference systems in the defense against genetic elements (CRISPR-Cas), on small regulatory RNAs that interfere with pathogenic processes, on protein quality control that regulates bacterial adaptation, physiology and virulence, on basic principles of DNA replication and its role for life and on bacterial and vesicular interactions with host innate immunity.