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Wenjun Ouyang Senior Scientist: Immunology |
"The research in my lab is focused on understanding the functions of different T helper subsets and effector cytokines in the development of autoimmune diseases. We are especially interested in the crosstalk between the immune system and tissue epithelium during infection and autoimmune diseases.
CD4 T cells can differentiate into various subsets, such as Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, all of which exert different biological functions through the preferential production of subset-specific cytokines. My lab is interested in understanding the cytokines and co-stimulatory pathways that drive the earlier differentiation of naïve CD4 T cells under various circumstances. We recently demonstrated that IL-22 is an effector cytokine that preferentially expressed by Th17 cells. Both IL-23 and IL-6 promote IL-22 production from T cells during Th17 development, while TGF-b inhibits IL-22 induction. Our studies also showed in inflammatory skin diseases, IL-23 induced keratinocytes hyperproliferation is primarily mediated by IL-22. Currently, we are continuing our effort in understanding the biological functions of various effector cytokines from Th cells in autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases."