Grant: Operating Grant

The defense of the body against infections relies on the function of a group of cells and organs known collectively as the immune system. One of the key cells in the initiation and regulation of specific immune responses against microbes is the T lymphocyte. T lymphocytes are also critical players in allergies, some autoimmune diseases such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis, and in the rejection of transplanted organs. Therefore, knowing how T cells are turned on and off is important not only to understand the working of the immune system in health and disease, but also as a way to develop novel treatments for those human diseases mediated by T cells. The aim of my laboratory is to identify the signals involved in the activation of T cells as well as how these signals are regulated. We have recently found out that a novel molecule known as SLP-2 plays an important role in the activation of T cells by bringing the different components needed for their activation to the proper place inside the cell. We have discovered that changing the amount of SLP-2 expressed by the T cell changes the capacity of T cells to respond. More importantly, we have preliminary evidence that the amount of SLP-2 is increased in diseases with activation of the lymphocytes such as inflammatory responses, as well as in cancers of blood cells such as lymphomas and leukemias. The aim of this proposal is to understand how SLP-2 works and apply this knowledge to develop novel treatments to suppress undesirable T cell responses.