Research Interests
Dendritic cell biology, priming of adaptive immunity.
Research Groups
Cellular Immunology
Research Interests and Description
Description of Research
The lab has a major interest in the mechanisms that regulate antigen presentation by dendritic cells (DCs). By combining cell imaging and functional assays we aim to elucidate how signals from incoming pathogens are transferred from DCs to T lymphocytes during priming of adaptive immunity. We focus on cytoskeletal proteins that orchestrate the spatio-temporal distribution of proteins and sub-cellular organelles at the immune synapse. As a working model to understand the role of cytoskeletal proteins in normal and pathological conditions we study cells deficient in the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein, a key regulator of actin polimerization mutated in a rare immunodeficiency in humans. We have recently begun to map the trafficking pathways of cytokines secreted by DCs in response to microbial stimulation to understand how these pathways can be manipulated to improve the immunostimulatory properties of dendritic cells for the purpose of cancer immunotherapy.
Recent Publications
Pulecio, J., Tagliani, E., Scholer, A., Fetler, L., Burrone, O., Benvenuti, F. 2008. Expression of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein in dendritic cells regulates synapse formation and activation of naïve T cells. J Immunol. 181, 1135-1142 [Pubmed link]
Tagliani, E., Guermonprez, P., Sepulveda, J., Lopez-Bravo, M., Ardavin, C., Amigorena, S., Benvenuti, F., Burrone, O.R. 2008. Selection of an Antibody Library Identifies a Pathway to Induce Immunity by Targeting CD36 on Steady-State CD8a Dendritic Cells. J. Immunol. 180, 3201-3209 [Pubmed link]
Benvenuti, F., Hugues, S., Walmslay, M., Ruf , S., Fetler, L., Popoff, M., Tybulewicz, V., Amigorena, S. 2004. Induction of T cell priming requires Rac1 and Rac2 expression in mature dendritic cells. Science 20, 1150-1153
Benvenuti, F., Lagoudriere, C., Grandjean, I., Lantz, O., Amigorena, S. 2004. Dendritic Cell Maturation controls Adhesion, Synapse Formation, and the Duration of the Interactions with naive T Lymphocytes. J Immunol. 172, 292-301
