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| Name |
Cyster, Jason G. |
| Location
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University of California, San Francisco |
| Primary Field
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Immunology and Inflammation |
 Election Citation
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Cyster has made seminal contributions in defining the molecular cues that guide leukocyte migration in secondary lymphoid organs and the mechanisms that define the formation of lymphoid tissue architecture, with implications for organ transplantation and vaccination. |
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Research Interests
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My laboratory studies how cells and antigens come together to generate immune responses. This involves a focus on deciphering the cues that guide immune cell movements within, and egress from, lymphoid organs. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a major class of chemoattractant receptor on immune cells and we have used gain- and loss-of function approaches to establish roles for several GPCRs that respond to protein (chemokine), lipid (sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), oxysterol) and metabolite (S-geranylgeranyl-L-glutathione) ligands and to study how these responses adapt after exposure to antigen or inflammatory inputs. We established that lymphocyte egress from lymphoid organs is mediated by S1PR1 and defined mechanisms acting to maintain high S1P at egress sites. We have a strong interest in understanding how cell interaction dynamics influence the selection events underlying antibody affinity maturation. We use real-time intravital 2-photon microscopy to study these dynamics and are working on tools for the in vivo quantitation of cell-cell interaction and cell signaling in germinal centers. Our studies are also informative about pathways leading to lymphomagenesis. We study requirements for mounting long-lived antibody (plasma cell and memory B cell) responses and the derangements associated with autoantibody responses. We also explore requirements for barrier immunity at epithelial surfaces. |
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