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Laboratory of Molecular Immunogenetics
Juan Rivera, M.Sc. Ph.D.
Chief, Laboratory of Molecular Immunogenetics
Phone: (301) 496-7592
Fax: (301) 402-0012
E-mail: riveraj@mail.nih.gov
Autoimmune and other inflammatory diseases result from dysfunctions in the regulation of the immune system. The focus of the Laboratory of Molecular Immunogenetics (LMI) is towards understanding the genetic and molecular regulation involved in normal and abnormal immune cell processes and how these events control immune system regulation and disease. The LMI studies the role of key immune genes in controlling immunoglobulin class switching, DNA repair, immune cell activation, recruitment and function, and regulation of gene expression. Understanding the molecular underpinning on how inflammation is regulated in both health and disease is essential for developing targeted therapeutic agents that can ameliorate immune system disorders with minimal side effects.
The LMI uses a multidisciplinary investigative approach that includes biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, molecular biology, and genetics to explore this problem. The Laboratory also employs cutting edge technologies to facilitate discoveries. These include real time in vitro and in vivo imaging, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), genomics and proteomics, silencing RNA, transgenic and inducible or tissue specific genetically altered mouse models, as well as human cell-based and collaborative clinical studies. The coupling of a multidisciplinary approach with innovative technologies provides a fertile ground for scientific discovery and training.
The LMI is currently comprised of two sections, the Genomics and Immunity Section (Rafael Casellas, Ph.D., Chief) and the Molecular Immunology Section (Juan Rivera, M.Sc. Ph.D., Chief).
Selected Publications
Hershko AY, Suzuki R, Charles N, Alvarez-Errico D, Sargent JL, Laurence A, Rivera J. Mast Cell Interleukin-2 Production Contributes to Suppression of Chronic Allergic Dermatitis. Immunity. 2011 Oct 3.
Klein IA, Resch W, Jankovic M, Oliveira T, Yamane A, Nakahashi H, Di Virgilio M, Bothmer A, Nussenzweig A, Robbiani DF, Casellas R, Nussenzweig MC. Translocation-capture sequencing reveals the extent and nature of chromosomal rearrangements in B lymphocytes. Cell. 2011 Sep 30;147(1):95-106.
Yamane A, Resch W, Kuo N, Kuchen S, Li Z, Sun HW, Robbiani DF, McBride K, Nussenzweig MC, Casellas R. Deep-sequencing identification of the genomic targets of the cytidine deaminase AID and its cofactor RPA in B lymphocytes. Nature Immunology 2011 Jan;12(1):62-9.
Suzuki R, Liu X, Olivera A, Aguiniga L, Yamashita Y, Blank U, Ambudkar I, Rivera J. Loss of TRPC1-mediated Ca2+ influx contributes to impaired degranulation in Fyn-deficient mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells. J Leukoc Biol. 2010 Nov;88(5):863-75.
Pavri R, Gazumyan A, Jankovic M, Di Virgilio M, Klein I, Ansarah-Sobrinho C, Resch W, Yamane A, Reina San-Martin B, Barreto V, Nieland TJ, Root DE, Casellas R, Nussenzweig MC. Activation-induced cytidine deaminase targets DNA at sites of RNA polymerase II stalling by interaction with Spt5. Cell 2010 Oct 1;143(1):122-33.
Kuchen S, Resch W, Yamane A, Kuo N, Li Z, Chakraborty T, Wei L, Laurence A, Yasuda T, Peng S, Hu-Li J, Lu K, Dubois W, Kitamura Y, Charles N, Sun HW, Muljo S, Schwartzberg PL, Paul WE, O'Shea J, Rajewsky K, Casellas R. Regulation of microRNA expression and abundance during lymphopoiesis. Immunity. 2010 Jun 25;32(6):828-39.
Charles N, Hardwick D, Daugas E, Illei GG, Rivera J. Basophils and the T helper 2 environment can promote the development of lupus nephritis. Nat Med. 2010 Jun;16(6):701-7.
Olivera A, Eisner C, Kitamura Y, Dillahunt S, Allende L, Tuymetova G, Watford W, Meylan F, Diesner SC, Li L, Schnermann J, Proia RL, Rivera J. Sphingosine kinase 1 and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 are vital to recovery from anaphylactic shock in mice. J Clin Invest. 2010 May 3;120(5):1429-40.
Ji Y, Resch W, Corbett E, Yamane A, Casellas R*, Schatz DG*. The in vivo pattern of binding of RAG1 and RAG2 to antigen receptor loci. Cell. 2010 Apr 30;141(3):419-31.
Charles N, Watford WT, Ramos HL, Hellman L, Oettgen HC, Gomez G, Ryan JJ, O'Shea JJ, Rivera J. Lyn kinase controls basophil GATA-3 transcription factor expression and induction of Th2 cell differentiation. Immunity. 2009 Apr 17;30(4):533-43.
Reviewed September 24, 2012
