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12:00pm - 1:00am
Microbiology & Immunology Seminar Series
Pizza & Beverages will be provided
David Artis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Title: Immune regulation at barrier surfaces
Host: Deborah Fowell
Seminar Abstract: Employing diverse models of microbial colonization, pathogen infection and chronic inflammation, research in the Artis lab is examining how mammalian host genetics and signals derived from commensal microbial communities influence innate and adaptive immune responses in the skin, lung and intestine. Epithelial cells (ECs) were recently shown to play a critical role in maintaining the balance of tolerance, immunity and inflammation at barrier surfaces including the gastrointestinal tract. We are employing inducible deletion or overexpression of genes in intestinal ECs to interrogate how they regulate the functions of intestinal myeloid and lymphocyte lineages. The long-term goals of these studies are to improve oral vaccination against enteric infections and prevent chronic inflammation associated with diseases including food allergy and inflammatory bowel disease. We are are employing gnotobiotic mice to examine the influence of commensal microbial communities on intestinal and peripheral immune cell development and function. Our findings indicate that commensal microbes have a major regulatory influence on CD4+ T cell and granulocyte function associated with susceptibility to multiple inflammatory diseases. In related studies, we are investigating how ECs regulate allergen- or helminth-induced type 2 inflammation at mucosal sites. Secretion of IEC-derived cytokines including IL-25, IL-33 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) appear to be important early events in influencing dendritic cell and CD4+ T cell responses required these responses. Our recent studies suggest that ECs also govern extramedullary hematopoiesis that can influence the development of TH2 cytokine responses. It is hoped that the results of these studies will advance understanding the pathophysiology of multiple mucosal inflammatory diseases, including asthma, allergy and inflammatory bowel disease and provide a framework to test the therapeutic potential of manipulating epithelial cell responses in these disease states.
http://www.med.upenn.edu/micro/faculty/artis.html
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| Location: | Upper Aud (3-7619) |
Posted by: Corrine Aleese, Micro & Immunolgy, 7-Feb-13 10:12am ET
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