SFB 1054 Seminar - Alexander Scheffold
Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Institute for Immunology
22.11.2018 at 12:15
Title: The good (Treg), the bad (Th2) and the ugly (Th17 & microbiota): Antigen-specific modulation of pulmonary tolerance and inflammation.
Humans are continuously exposed to harmless environmental substances, e.g. via the breathing air. Harmless airborne antigens are normally tolerated by the healthy immune system but dysregulated immune responses result in allergic diseases and inflammation. Such pathologic responses are orchestrated by CD4+ effector T cells, which are tightly controlled by Foxp3 regulatory T cells (Treg). Also the microbiota modulate inflammatory diseases although the contribution of individual microbes remains elusive. In humans both, the mediators of tolerance, as well as of immune pathology have so far been poorly characterized on the antigen-specific level. This represents a major obstacle to identify the basic mechanisms of disease and to create specific treatments. In my talk I will discuss our analyses of human antigen-specific T cell responses against airborne antigens and members of the intestinal microbiota. We identified antigen-specific Treg as important mediators of pulmonary tolerance and defined escape mechanisms enabling allergy development. Furthermore I will discuss the impact of individual members of the microbiota for systemic T cell responses and show that cross-reactivity to an intestinal commensal is a major induction mechanism for Th17 cells contributing to allergic inflammation in humans.
Venue:
BioMedical Center (BMC), Room N 01.017,
Großhaderner Str. 9, Planegg-Martinsried
Host: Thomas Brocker (B03)
