HETEROGENEITY AMONG HUMAN CD4+ T CELL CLONES

我们研究方案的目标是确定导致过敏性哮喘的机制。为此，我们正在确定控制CD4+ T细胞中IL-4表达的细胞和分子机制，并调节抗原特异性T细胞中无反应性的发展。这些研究包括确定来自过敏和非过敏个体以及哮喘患者的抗原提呈细胞（如肺泡巨噬细胞）在影响T细胞细胞因子产生和耐受性诱导中的作用。我们还将确定病毒感染如何影响这些过程。这些研究将使我们更好地了解过敏和耐受性诱导背后的关键免疫反应。这种理解将是设计针对过敏和哮喘等疾病的新型免疫疗法的关键。

The goals of our research protocols are to determine the mechanisms that result in allergic asthma. Toward this end, we are determining the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control IL-4 expression in CD4+ T cells, and regulate the development of unresponsiveness in antigen specific T cells. These studies involve determining the role of antigen presenting cells such as alveolar macrophages from allergic and nonallergic individuals, as well as those with asthma in influencing cytokine production and tolerance induction in T cells. We will also determine how viral infection influences these processes. These studies will lead to a better understanding of the critical immunologic response that underlie allergy and tolerance induction. Such an understanding will be key in the design of novel immunotherapies for disease such as allergy and asthma.