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Research in our laboratory is aimed at understanding
how T cells develop in the thymus and how they contribute to immune
responses outside of it. A major focus concerns how T cells use cell
surface molecules to detect and respond to changes in their environment.
Members of the group employ a combination of genetics and cellular
immunology to study issues such as the following:
• The molecular nature and biological function of signals delivered
by the pre-T cell receptor during early thymocyte development;
• The mechanism by which CD4 positively regulates antigen recognition
during thymocyte development and immune responses and the molecular
basis of CD4-independent T helper cell development;
• The mechanism by which CD5 negatively regulates T cell responsiveness
and the significance of this negative regulation for the formation
of the T cell receptor repertoire;
• The function of the CD134 (OX40) molecule : this is
a member of the Tumor Necrosis Receptor family that is only expressed
on activated T lymphocytes during immune responses. |
Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Graduate Program
