T cell traffic and immunological memory

• Research unit: IRB
• Project number: 2000-FS-01

Key words (English)

Immunology / T cells / Differenciation

Short description (English)

Our work deals with two main lines of research. First we want to understand the factors that control T cell differentiation and the role that sustained TCR stimulation plays in this process. Second we want to understand the role that T cells arrested at intermediate stages of differentiation play in the immune response. We have shown that these cells represent a distinct population of nonpolarized memory cells that plays a key role in secondary immune responses. A second line of research deals with the regulation of migratory capacities and effector function. While nonpolarized cells stay within the lymphoid organs, polarized effector cells migrate to inflamed tissues. We are studying chemokine receptor expression and regulation to understand this differential homing capacities. This work is done both in the human and in the mouse system and should provide new insights into the dynamics of primary and secondary immune responses.