Dr. Donna Farber Research
Memory CD4 T Cells and Immune Responses To Influenza Virus | Mapping The Human Immune Response | Signaling Pathways For Memory CD4 T Cell Recall And Homeostasis
Research Interests:
The focus of Dr. Farber’s research is on immunological memory, and in particular on memory T cells which direct and coordinate anamnestic immune responses to pathogens and can mediate immunopathology in autoimmune disease and in transplantation. Memory T cells are generated following an initial encounter with antigen and can persist in multiple lymphoid and non-lymphoid peripheral tissue sites. We have recently identified that lungs contain a resident population of memory T cells that are retained in the lung and mediate optimal protective responses to influenza virus. We are investigating how these tissue resident memory T cells are generated and retained in mucosal sites in mouse virus infection models, and how pancreas-homing autoreactive memory T cells are generated and maintained in a mouse model for Type I diabetes. Biochemical and molecular approaches are also being taken to elucidate mechanisms controlling the rapid recall response of memory T cells and their homeostasis and maintenance in mouse models with conditional deletion of key signal transduction intermediates. We have recently begun translational studies on human memory T cells, with a focus on characterizing tissue-specific immune responses in multiple lymphoid and non-lymphoid human tissue obtained from organ donors in collaboration with the New York organ donor network. Other translational studies in progress include analyses of T cell homeostasis and function in human transplant recipients and in Type I diabetes.
Lab members:
Damian Turner, PhD
Masaru Kutoba, MD
Kara Bickham, MD
Minjin Yu, PhD
Phillip Camp
Naomi Yudanin
Joseph Thome
Selected Publications:
1. Tang, A.L., Bingaman, A.W., Kadavil, E.A., Leeser, D.B., and Farber, D.L. (2006) Generation and functional capacity of polyclonal alloantigen-specific memory CD4 T cells. Am. J. Transplant. 6:1275-1284. (editorial in the same issue by Fairchild, R., “Developing models to study the memory T cell barrier in transplantation”, 6:1246-1247)
2. Moulton, V., Bushar, N.D., Leeser, D., Patke, D.S. and Farber, D.L. (2006) Divergent generation of heterogeneous memory CD4 T cells. J. Immunol. 177: 869-876.
3. Ndejembi, M.P., Patke, D.S., Bingaman, A.W., Chandok, M.R., Azimzadeh, A., Nadler, S.G., and Farber, D.L. (2006) Control of Memory CD4 T cell recall by the CD28 costimulatory pathway. J. Immunol. 177: 7698-7706.
4. Chandok, M.R., Okoye, F.I., Ndejembi, M.P. and Farber, D.L. (2007) A biochemical signature for rapid recall of memory CD4 T cells. J. Immunol. 179:3689-3698.
5. Teijaro, J.R., Njau, M.P., Verhoeven, D., Chandran, S., Nadler, S.G., Hasday, J, and Farber, D.L. (2009) Costimulation modulation uncouples protection from immunopathology in memory T cell responses to influenza virus. J. Immunol. 182:6834-6843.
6. Sener, A., Tang, A.L. and Farber, D.L. (2009) Memory T cell predominance following T cell depletional therapy derives from homeostatic expansion of naive T cells. Am. J. Transplant. 9:2615-2623.
7. Chandran, S., Verhoeven, D., Teijaro, J.R., Fenton, M. and Farber, D.L. (2009) TLR2 engagement on DC promotes high frequency effector and memory CD4 T cell responses. J. Immunol. 183:7832-41.
8. Bushar, N.D., Corbo, E., Schmidt, M., Maltzman, J.S. and Farber, D.L. (2010) Ablation of SLP-76 signaling after T cell priming generates memory CD4 T cells impaired in steady-state and cytokine-driven homeostasis. Proc. Nat’l. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107:827-831.
9. Teijaro, J.R., Verhoeven, D., Page, C.A. and Farber, D.L. (2010) Memory CD4 T cells Direct Protective Responses to Influenza Virus in the Lung through Helper-independent Mechanisms. J. Virol. 84:9217-26. (selected for editors’ spotlight feature)
10. Lai, W., Yu, M., Okoye, F.I., Keegan, A.D. and Farber, D.L. (2011) Transcriptional control of rapid recall in Memory CD4 T cells. J. Immunol. 187: 133-40.
Links:
http://www.umich.edu/
http://www.ucsb.edu/
http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/President/president.html
http://www.med.yale.edu/immuno/
http://www.pasteur.fr/ip/index.jsp
http://www.embo.org/
http://cbmg.umd.edu/
http://medschool.umaryland.edu/
