The research in my laboratory is focused in understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate cell fate determination during immune cell development. We use mouse models to genetically alter pathways of interest and to analyze their impact on the development and function of different lymphoid cell types. Currently we are studying two different cell types with innate characteristics, iNKTs and ILCs.

Invariant natural killer T cells (NKT cells) are a conserved T cell population that behaves like innate cells, rapidly secreting cytokines when stimulated. Different subsets of iNKT cells have been reported, including NKT1, NKT2 and NKT17 cells, similar to TH1, TH2 and TH17 cells. The relationships between the different subsets, their stability, and their functional relevance remain incompletely characterized. We have shown in a mouse model (ET-2) that a small alteration in E protein activity during development results in a dramatic change in the differentiation profile of iNKTs, with a decrease in NKT1s and an increase in other subsets, including a novel type. This model provides a unique opportunity to test the impact of different NKT populations in normal immune responses. We are testing the impact of these changes in NKT cells on the immune response to flu, given the relevance of flu as a public health problem and the fact that activation of NKT cells has been successfully used as a novel adjuvant to increase vaccination efficiency.

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are recently identified specialized cell subsets that play critical roles in rapid responses to pathogens, and share developmental and effector programs with conventional helper T cells. The distribution of effector subsets within these populations has important implications to the immune responses of an organism, and, therefore, the molecular mechanisms that determine the representation of each effector type within a population is a critical area of research to open new approaches to manipulation of these populations for clinical purposes. We are analyzing the role of a family of transcription factors called E proteins in the develpoment of different ILC susbsets using mouse models.

My Publications  Lab Website