 Ph.D.
(1982) |
Richard
Barth
Associate Professor of Microbiology &
Immunology and
of Oncology
Primary Appointment: Graduate
Degree Programs |
|
| Contact Information | ||
| University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry 601 Elmwood Ave, Box 672 Rochester, New York 14642 |
Phone:
(585) 275-2463 E-Mail: Rick_Barth@urmc.rochester.edu |
|
- Research Focus
- Genetics of Fibrosis and Analysis of Cryptic T-Cell Epitopes
- Research Overview
- Pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal disease that can arise as a consequence of radiation or chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer. The major objective of our research is to investigate the genetic mechanisms underlying mouse strain variation in susceptibility to bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Analysis of various inbred mouse strains, as well as intercrossed progeny, has resulted in the identification of two genetic loci which control susceptibility to induction of this disease. We are in the process of localizing these susceptibilities using microsatellite mapping techniques, with the future goal of isolating them and investigating their role in the disease process.
- T cell antigen epitopes can be categorized based on the strength of the response against them after immunization with the intact protein antigens that contain them. Epitopes which elicit a strong response after whole protein immunization are termed dominant epitopes; and epitopes which evoke no measurable response when immunization is with the intact protein antigen are termed cryptic. Cryptic epitopes play a key role in the development of autoimmune disease, and may also be useful for the development of anti-tumor vaccines. We have developed an assay which distinguishes epitopes which are cryptic by virtue of inefficient processing/presentation (Type 1 cryptic epitopes) from those which are cryptic because of a low frequency of peptide-specific T cell precursors (Type 2 cryptic epitopes). Current studies focus on elucidating the mechanism which generates Type 2 cryptic epitopes.
- Recent Publications
- Wagner VE, Frelinger JG, Barth RK, Iglewski BH. Quorum sensing: dynamic response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to external signals. Trends Microbiol. 2006 Feb;14(2):55-8. Epub 2006 Jan 6.
- Thatcher TH, Sime PJ, Barth RK. Sensitivity to bleomycin-induced lung injury is not moderated by an antigen-limited T-cell repertoire. Exp Lung Res. 2005 Sep;31(7):685-700.
- Burns R, Luzina I, Nasir A, Haidaris CG, Barth RK, Gaspari AA. Keratinocyte-derived, CD80-mediated costimulation is associated with hapten-specific IgE production during contact hypersensitivity to TH1 haptens. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005 Feb;115(2):383-90.
- Kuzin II, Ugine GD, Barth RK, Shultz LD, Nahm MH, Young FM, Bottaro A. A new murine model of humoral immuno-deficiency specifically affects class switching to T-independent antigens. Eur J Immunol. 2004 Jul;34(7):1807-16.
- Barth RK, Hanchett LA, Baecher-Allan CM. Mapping susceptibility genes for the induction of pulmonary fibrosis in mice. Chest. 2002 Mar;121(3 Suppl):21S.
- Thatcher TH, O'Brien DP, Altuwaijri S, Barth RK. Increasing the frequency of T-cell precursors specific for a cryptic epitope of hen-egg lysozyme converts it to an immunodominant epitope. Immunology. 2000 Feb;99(2):235-42.
- Burns RP Jr, Nasir A, Haake AR, Barth RK, Gaspari AA. B7-1 overexpression by thymic epithelial cells results in transient and long-lasting effects on thymocytes and peripheral T helper cells but does not result in immunodeficiency. Cell Immunol 194:162-77, 1999.
- Gaspari AA, Burns R, Nasir A, Ramirez D, Barth RK, Haidaris CG. CD86 (B7-2), but not CD80 (B7-1), expression in the epidermis of transgenic mice enhances the immunogenicity of primary cutaneous Candida albicans infections. Infect Immun 66:4440-9, 1998.
- Gaspari AA, Burns RP Jr, Kondo S, Nasir A, Kurup A, Mlodynia D, Sauder D, Barth RK. Characterization of the altered cutaneous reactivity of transgenic mice whose keratinocytes overexpress B7-1. Clin Immunol Immunopathol 86:259-70, 1998.
- Wei C, Callahan BP, Turner MJ, Willis RA, Lord EM, Barth RK, Frelinger JG. Regulation of human prostate-specific antigen gene expression in transgenic mice: Evidence for an enhancer between the PSA and human glandular kallikrein-1 genes. Int J Mol Med 2:487-496, 1998.
- Daly HE, Baecher-Allan CM, Paxhia AT, Ryan RM, Barth RK, Finkelstein JN. Cell-specific gene expression reveals changes in epithelial cell populations after bleomycin treatment. Lab Invest 78:393-400, 1998.
- Burns RP Jr. Natarajan K. LoCascio NJ. O'Brien DP. Kobori JA. Shastri N. Barth RK. Molecular analysis of skewed Tcra-V gene use in T-cell receptor beta-chain transgenic mice. Immunogenetics 47:107-14, 1998.
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