Regulation of Naive and Memory T Cell Populations

Mature T cells persist within the body for indefinite periods of time, providing protection from a vast array of pathogens. A fraction of naïve T cells survive for decades and some memory T cells survive for a lifetime without re-exposure to antigen. It is not known how the lifespan of T cells is regulated at the individual, cellular level or at the population level. It is the objective of our research to identify the cellular and molecular interactions regulating the survival of both naïve and memory T cells.  This information is crucial to understanding T cell homeostasis and immunological memory (the basis of vaccination against both tumors and pathogens). Several lines of study in our lab aim to identify the molecular signals required to maintain T cells, generate a productive immune response and form long-lived protective immunity. It is our hope that our experiments will improve the understanding of how the immune system recovers following treatment- or illness-induced lymphopenia (such as chemotherapy or HIV infection) and aid in the design of vaccines that provide long-lasting protection from infection. Moreover, by expanding our understanding of how lymphocyte populations are regulated, it will be possible to gain insight into how normal survival signals are co-opted and how homeostatic set points are overcome by cancer cells providing possible targets for therapeutic intervention.

ANANDA W. GOLDRATH, PhD Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences University of California, San Diego 5107 Natural Sciences Building 0377 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla, CA 92093-0377 agoldrath@ucsd.edu