Oh to be seventeen again: IL-17 signaling in fungal immunity and autoimmune disease

Immunology Interest Group Seminar Series The IL-17 family constitutes a distinct subclass of pro-inflammatory cytokines with unique structures and signaling properties. Signals from IL-17 mediate immunity to extracellular pathogens, particularly the commensal fungus Candida albicans. Conversely, dysregulated IL-17 signal transduction drives pathogenesis in autoimmune conditions, including psoriasis. This talk will discuss both sides of this dual-acting cytokine, from the perspective of IL-17 receptor-induced signal transduction mechanisms. Biography: Dr. Sarah Gaffen received her BS in Biological Sciences from Carnegie Mellon University and her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of California at Berkeley. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Gladstone Institute for Virology and Immunology at UC San Francisco working on IL-2 and JAK-STAT signaling in T cells, she joined the faculty at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York Dental School. At this time, Dr. Gaffen initiated studies on a then-obscure cytokine, IL-17, and its role in oral mucosal immunity. Her group was the first to demonstrate a host-protective role for IL-17 in acute periodontal disease and in immunity to the commensal fungus, Candida albicans, causative agent of oral thrush. She was also one of the first people to delineate signaling mechanisms mediated by the IL-17 receptor complex. In 2008 she re-located to the University of Pittsburgh, Division of Rheumatology and Cl...
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