Department: Pathology

E-mail: peter.jensen@path.utah.edu
Address: EEJMRB
Phone: 585-6217

Research Title: Unconventional immune responses

Research Description:

Mice that do not express classical MHC (major histocompatibility complex) molecules will generate a protective immune response against Salmonella infection.

We have generated mice that are deficient in MHC class Ia and MHC class II molecules.  Despite the lack of classical MHC molecules, these mice have large numbers if CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes.  The T cells in these mice have specificity for antigens presented by MHC class Ib (nonclassical) molecules.  Preliminary results from our lab indicate that these mice generate protective immunity to listeria and certain viral infections.  We are also interested in the ability of these mice to respond to other pathogens, such as Salmonella.  The project would involve infecting mice with Salmonella and subsequently measuring the immune response by a variety of methods.  The ability of the mice to clear infection would be measured by analyzing organs for bacterial titer load.  In addition, antigen specific T cell responses would be measured by analyzing the ability of the cells to undergo antigen specific T cell proliferation and to produced cytokines.  If the mice are able to generate a protective adaptive immune response, this would open the path to discover alternative pathways for host immunity to microbial pathogens.

1/2008