Education

MD, Osaka University, Japan PhD Osaka University, Japan

PhD, Medical Science & Immunology: Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan (2002)

Recognition

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Scholar, 2017

Subspecialty

Gene Regulation during development and function of T and B lymphocytes

Service to the University

DBBS Affliations

Research Interests

Our laboratory has a long-standing interest in genetic and epigenetic regulation of the development and functions of lymphocytes. We are studying gene regulatory network in T cells and B cells that drives requisite clonal expansion for protection against pathogen infection and cancers, support their durable long-term immunity, and protects proliferating lymphocytes and their progenitors from cancerous transformation. Specifically, we focused our research on the characterization of hierarchical dynamics of T and B cell subpopulations that support long-lasting immune responses and roles of gene expression programs initiated by the transcription factor c-MYC that drives both lymphocyte clonal expansion required for normal immune responses and tumorigenesis. In our recent studies, we have identified subpopulations of exhausted CD4 and CD8 T cells in chronic viral infection models and also the presence of a c-MYC-induced tumor suppression pathway that protects developing B cells from transformation.

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Selected Publications

WashU Medicine Profile

• C/EBPα activates Irf8 expression in myeloid progenitors at the +56-kb enhancer to initiate cDC1 development

  Publication

• Lrp1 is essential for lethal Rift Valley fever hepatic disease in mice

  Publication

• Population dynamics and gene regulation of T cells in response to chronic antigen stimulation

  Publication

• TCR-BERT: learning the grammar of T-cell receptors for flexible antigen-binding analyses

  Publication

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Assistant

Ellen Lockett

Administrative Professional

Office Location: Clinical Sciences Research Building, 7th Floor, Room 7739