My laboratory has a long-standing interest in understanding the cellular and molecular aspects of immune responses against pathogenic microorganisms. Specifically, the gram-positive bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes, is utilized to dissect the roles of T cells, NK cells, NK-T cells, dendritic cells, monocytes, neutrophils, and macrophages during the innate and adaptive immune responses to this pathogen. Elucidating the proliferative capacity, cytokine/chemokine secreting potential, localization, and ultimate fate of these and other immune effector cells allows us to understand how the immune system coordinately responds to, and controls, pathogens.
We are also actively studying how cytokine/chemokine networks, oxidative stress, and enzymes that regulate the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species modulate immune responses and clearance of pathogens.