The Laboratory of Dr. Melissa Brown
Research in the Brown Lab
Mast cells, members of the innate immune system, are important in eliciting inflammation in response to parasitic, bacterial and viral infections. They are located at the host-environment interface (e.g. skin, gastrointestinal tract and airways) and are characterized by the presence of numerous cytoplasmic granules containing preformed mediators. These mediators are released immediately when mast cells encounter an infectious microbe and act to recruit and activate other immune cells. Thus mast cells are often considered one of first lines of defense in an infection. Mast cells also have a role in influencing the long-term protective immunity that is carried out by cells of the adaptive immune response, particularly T cells. We are using several in vivo models of disease including Type I diabetes and EAE, the mouse model of the human demyelinating disease.
Welcome to the Laboratory of Dr. Melissa Brown
Contact Information:
Lab Phone: 312.503.1013
FAX: 312-503-4839
Tarry Building, Room 6-758
Chicago, IL 60611
Research Interests
Epigenetic regulation of Il4 and Il17 expression in T and mast cells
Molecular basis of strain-specific patterns of Th cell cytokine expression in mast cells
Role of mast cells in T cell mediated diseases, in particular:
Multiple Sclerosis
Diabetes
LCMV infection
Mast cell influence on T cell responses in viral infections
