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NIAID > Labs & Scientific Resources > Labs at NIAID > Info about NIAID Labs > Parasitic Diseases > Mucosal Immunology

Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases

Yasmine Belkaid, Ph.D.

Chief, Mucosal Immunology Section


Description of Research Program

The Mucosal Immunology Section is aimed at elucidating mechanisms of immune regulation at steady state and during infection.

Mammalian barrier surfaces host complex microbial communities whose combined membership outnumbers our own cells by at least a factor of 10. Recent studies have highlighted the fundamental role of these microbes in the maintenance of host homeostasis. For instance, commensals can play a major role in the control of host defense, metabolism, and tissue development. This symbiotic relationship, however, bears a constant threat to the host. In the gut in particular, reactivity against intestinal flora poses a substantial risk that can lead to severe tissue damage. Sites exposed to commensals must be able to tolerate constant exposure to innocuous antigens while maintaining the capacity to respond rapidly to encounters with pathogens. These conflicting pressures present the host immune system defending the GI tract with unique challenges. Our work explores the mechanism associated with the maintenance of this equilibrium. In particular, we explore how the microbiota, regulatory T cells, and dietary metabolites control tissue function and outcome of infection.

To address these issues, using a dermal parasite (Leishmania major) and several gastrointestinal pathogens (Cryptosporidium, Microsporidium, and Toxoplasma spp), we are doing the following:

  • Assessing the function of the microbiota in the control of pathogen infection and pathogenesis
  • Exploring the conditions controlling the induction and function of regulatory T cells at sites exposed to microbes
  • Exploring how dietary metabolites, and in particular Retinoic acid, control tissue homeostasis, and immunity to pathogen

Research Group Members

From left to right:
Senta Kapnick (Rotation student, Hopkins-NIH partnership)
Urvi Ruparelia (HHMI scholar)
Elisabeth Wohlfert (Postdoctoral fellow)
Jason Hall (Ph.D. student, University of Pennsylvania-NIH partnership)
Liliane dos Santos (Ph.D. student, Brazil)
Nicolas Bouladoux (Research fellow)
John Grainger (Postdoctoral fellow)
Shruti Naik (Graduate student, University of Pennsylvania-NIH partnership)
Timothy Hand (Postdoctoral fellow)
David Chou (Ph.D. student)

Photo of Mucosal Immunology Research Group Members
Mucosal Immunology Research Group

Selected Publications

(View list in PubMed.)

Hand T, Belkaid Y. Microbial control of regulatory and effector T-cell responses in the gut. Current Opin Immunol. 2010 Feb;22(1):63-72.

Oldenhove G, Bouladoux N, Wohlfert EA, Hall J, Chou D, Dos Santos L, O’Brien S, Blank R, Lamb E, Natarajan S, Kastenmayer R, Hunter C, Grigg ME, Belkaid Y. Decrease of Foxp3+ Treg cell number and acquisition of effector cell phenotype during lethal infection. Immunity. 2009 Nov 20;31(5):772-86.

Belkaid Y, Tarbell K. Regulatory T cells in the control of host-microorganism interactions. Annu Rev Immunol. 2009;27:551-89.

Hall JA, Bouladoux N, Sun CM, Wohlfert EA, Blank RB, Zhu Q, Grigg ME, Berzofsky J, Belkaid Y. Commensal DNA limits regulatory T-cell conversion and is a natural adjuvant of intestinal immune responses. Immunity. 2008 Oct 17;29(4):637-49.

Sun CM, Hall JA, Blank RB, Bouladoux N, Oukka M, Mora JR, Belkaid Y. Small intestine lamina propria dendritic cells promote de novo generation of Foxp3 Treg via retinoic acid. J Exp Med. 2007 Aug 6;204(8):1775-85.

Belkaid Y, Piccirillo CA, Mendez S, Shevach EM, Sacks DL. CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells control Leishmania major persistence and immunity. Nature. 2002 Dec 5;420(6915):502-­7.

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Last Updated June 14, 2011