Laboratory of Immune System Biology

Nita-Lazar Research Group

Research in the Functional Cellular Networks Section focuses on understanding the changes that occur in the cell proteome in response to exogenous factors such as pathogen-derived molecules, cytokines, and chemokines, which alter the differentiation state of cells in the immune system or whose production characterizes specific disease states. We are especially interested in large-scale absolute quantitative measurements of immune cell signaling cascade components and in the characterization of post-translational modification (PTM) dynamics on a global scale. We use the resulting large datasets to create predictive models of molecular interactions using the Simmune software generated by the Computational Biology Section. The predictions of these models will in turn be employed to elucidate biological responses to stimuli at multiple scales of biological organization, including the cell, tissue, and, eventually, whole organism. 

We employ mass-spectrometry-based technology together with other proteomic and biochemical methods using state-of-the art equipment and technologies available in our laboratory and at NIH. 

Photo of the Functional Cellular Networks Section

Functional Cellular Networks Section, October 2023. First row, from left: Doeun Kim, Aleksandra Nita-Lazar, Jiraphorn Issara-Amphorn, Vanya Bhushan. Second row, from left: SungHwan Yoon, Nathan Manes, Jacob Pederson, Joseph Gillen, Matthew Marino, Hyojung Kim (guest researcher from Dr. Anirban Benerjee's lab, NICHD).

Credit: NIAID

Aleksandra Nita-Lazar, Ph. D. (She/Her/Hers)

Chief, Functional Cellular Networks Section
Senior Investigator

Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.

Education: Ph.D., 2003, University of Basel

Dr. Nita-Lazar received her Ph.D. in biochemistry in 2003 from the University of Basel for studies performed at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, where she analyzed protein glycosylation using mass spectrometry methods.

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Joseph G. Gillen, Ph.D. (He/Him/His)

Research Fellow

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Education:

Ph.D., 2015, Florida State University
B.S., 2004, York College of Pennsylvania

Dr. Gillen’s research is examining the interactomes of critical proteins involved in the innate immune response pathways using proteomic assays including LC-MS/MS analysis, phosphoproteomics, immunoprecipitation, and ubiquitination analysis. Dr. Gillen’s research interests include viral-host protein-protein interactions and the innate immune response.

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Jiraphorn Issara-Amphorn, Ph.D. (She/Her/Hers)

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Languages Spoken: Thai

My research focuses on understanding molecular mechanism of macrophages in response to the pathogen derived molecules such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). I’m also interested in the function of MARCKS and phospho-MARCKS in the regulation of inflammatory response in macrophages.

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Nathan Paul Manes, Ph.D. (He/Him/His)

Staff Scientist

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My research focus is quantitative proteomics using mass spectrometry. I use comparative proteomic profiling to discover host biological pathways affected by infection, and I use targeted proteomics to measure the absolute abundance of proteins to support biological pathway modeling and simulation.

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Matthew James Marino, B.S. (He/Him/His)

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Education:

B.S., Biomolecular Sciences

Exploring the differential gene expression downstream of Toll like Receptor-4 upon LPS stimulation using mass-spectrometry based proteomics. My focus is on deciphering the RNA binding proteins to see how the binding partners affect the interactome and hence modulate the innate immune signaling cascade.

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Sung Hwan Yoon, Ph.D. (He/Him/His)

Senior Associate Scientist

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Education:

Ph.D., University of Arizona

B.S., Seoul National University

Languages Spoken: Korean

Majored in analytical chemistry and my specialties are mass spectrometry, instrumentation, and proteomics.

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Vanya Bhushan, Ph.D. (She/Her/Hers)

Exchange Visitor / Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education:

Ph.D. 

Languages Spoken: Hindi

Dr. Vanya Bhushan earned her Ph.D. from National Dairy Research Institute in 2022 and joined the Nita-Lazar lab in spring 2023. Her project at NIAID focuses on quantifying cellular protein abundance changes within subcellular compartments of host innate immune cells upon time course challenge with PAMPs/Vita-PAMPs from viable/non-viable whole cells, with activation of complex TLR/PRR signaling networks and their cross talk. Her interest primarily lies in quantitative mass spectrometry approaches to study cell signaling mechanisms.

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Doeun Kim, Ph.D. (She/Her/Hers)

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education:

Ph.D. Kyungpook National University
M.S. University of Science and Technology (UST)
B.S. Yeungnam University 

Languages Spoken: Korean

My research interests include identifying protein dynamics in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-driven TLR signaling pathway using proteomics approaches such as limited proteolysis, thermal proteome profiling, and quantitative proteomics (TMT and SILAC). Additionally, I’m interested in exploring the correlation between protein stabilities and protein phosphorylation.

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Jacob W. Pederson, B.S. (He/Him/His)

Predoctoral IRTA Fellow

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Education:

B.S. and M.S. Microbiology (Oregon State University)

Using a combination of computational network analysis and systems biology principles we aim to understand how the underlying mechanisms of specific host-microbe interactions drive or protect against disease. This approach has led us to investigate how dietary fatty acids and microbes stimulate certain macrophage populations via the TLR pathway to promote inflammation in adipose tissue and decrease systemic insulin sensitivity, leading to onset of metabolic disease.

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Former Research Group Members

Virginie Sjoelund, Ph. D. Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow. Currently Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Core Director, Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

Eunkyung An, Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow. Currently Program Manager in the Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research (OCCPR) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH.

Marijke Koppenol-Raab, Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow. Currently Pharmaceutical Scientist, FDA.

Jessica Calzola, Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow. Currently iCURE Program Director, Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, NCI, NIH.

Casey Daniels, Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow. Currently Senior Scientist at AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA.

Mohd M. Khan, Graduate Student (Graduate Partnership Program with the University of Maryland). Currently Manager (Cell & Gene Therapies Commercialization) at Deloitte Consulting US.

Thunnicha Ondee, Graduate Student (Graduate Partnership Program with Chulalongkorn University, Thailand). Currently Postdoctoral Fellow at Chulalongkorn University.

Sebastian Montalvo, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow. Currently Business Strategy Senior Consultant Business Strategy Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting US.

Pauline Kaplan, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow. Currently Medical Student, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, and Second Lieutenant, US Army.

Noah Kelner, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow. Currently Graduate Student at the University of Rochester.

Caleb Bridgwater, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow. Currently Graduate Student at Georgetown University.

Matthew Scandura, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow. Currently Research Technician at Northern Arizona University.

Arthur Nuccio, Research Technician. Currently Scientist at Novartis.

Trisha Tucholski, Ph. D. currently Scientific Officer at the National Academies

Deepali Rathore, Ph. D. currently at Bruker
 

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