T lymphocytes are essential for immune responses to pathogens and tumors. Their ability to rapidly clonally expand and differentiate to effector cells following infection, and then to curb effector function following infection clearance, is fundamental…
I felt honored by the invitation to write this autobiography, although it was an arduous task to describe my journey through science: first bacterial adhesion, then cytokine function, and then immune responses in tuberculosis. Since only seven women ha…
Effective bidirectional communication between the innate and adaptive immune systems is crucial for tissue homeostasis and protective immunity against infections. The innate immune system is responsible for the early sensing of and initial response to …
For decades, scientists have relied on traditional animal models to study viral infection and the immune response. However, these models have limitations, and the search for more accurate and reliable ways to study the human-pathogen interphase has led…
Immune responses are influenced by not only immune cells but also the tissue microenvironment where these cells reside. Recent advancements in understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms and structures of the epidermal tight junctions (TJs) and s…
CD8 T cells play a critical role in antitumor immunity. However, over time, they often become dysfunctional or exhausted and ultimately fail to control tumor growth. To effectively harness CD8 T cells for cancer immunotherapy, a detailed understanding …
The mammalian gut is a vast, diverse, and dynamic single-layer epithelial surface exposed to trillions of microbes, microbial products, and the diet. Underlying this epithelium lies the largest collection of immune cells in the body; these cells encoun…
Metazoans have evolved innate antimicrobial defenses that promote cellular survival and proliferation. Countering the inevitable molecular mechanisms by which microbes sabotage these pathways, multicellular organisms rely on an alternative, perhaps mor…
There has been an increasing effort to understand the memory responses of a complex interplay among innate, adaptive, and structural cells in peripheral organs and bone marrow. Trained immunity is coined as the de facto memory of innate immune cells an…
The cGAS-cGAMP-STING pathway is essential for immune defense against pathogens. Upon binding DNA, cGAS synthesizes cGAMP, which activates STING, leading to potent innate immune effector responses. However, lacking specific features to distinguish betwe…
