RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences Laboratory for Cytokine Regulation

Team Leader: Masato Kubo (Ph.D.)

Japanese Page

Research Summary

The goals of Laboratory for cytokine regulation are to understand the cytokine network mechanisms that control immune cell homeostasis, particularly focus on allergy and virus infection. In this context, distinct Helper T (T_H) subsets, T_H1, T_H2, T_H17, and T_FH, secrete different set of cytokines, which play a role in the effector and regulatory functions during pathogenic situation. Innate immune cells, including mast cells, basophiles, and innate lymphoid cells may also contribute to the pathogenesis by their expressing cytokines. We focus on how cytokines influence the balance of helper T cell and the innate responses during immunological surveillance system.

Keywords

cytokine
T cell biology
Humoral immune response
Vaccine

Selected Publications

1.Wang, Y., Kuang, Z., Yu, X., Ruhn, KA, Kubo, M. and Hooper, LV.:
"The intestinal microbiota regulates body composition through NFIL3 and the circadian clock."
Science 357, 912–916. (2017)
2.Miyauchi, K. and Kubo, M.:
"Is germinal center selection required in influenza vaccination?"
Cell. Mol. Immunol. 14, 655–657 (2017)
3.Kubo, M.:
"Innate and adaptive type 2 immunity in lung allergic inflammation"
Immunol. Rev. 278(1). 162-172 (2017)
4.Kubo, M.:
"T follicular helper and TH2 cells in allergic responses."
Allergol Int. 66,377-381 (2017)
5.Domínguez-Hüttinger, E., Christodoulides, P., Miyauchi, K., Irvine, AD., Okada-Hatakeyama, M., Kubo, M. and Tanaka, RJ.:
"Mathematical modeling of atopic dermatitis reveals “double-switch” mechanisms underlying 4 common disease phenotypes"
J. Allergy. Clin. Immunol. 139(6):1861-1872(2017)
6.Miyauchi, K., Sugimoto-Ishige, A., Harada, Y., Adachi, Y., Usami, Y., Kaji, T., Inoue, K., Hasegawa, H., Watanabe, T., Hijikata, A., Fukuyama, S., Maemura, T., Okada-Hatakeyama, M., Ohara, O., Kawaoka, Y., Takahashi, Y., Takemori, T., and Kubo, M.:
"Protective neutralizing influenza antibody response in the absence of T follicular helper cells"
Nat. Immunol. 17, p1447-1458(2016)
7.Yasuda T, Fukada T, Nishida K, Nakayama M, Matsuda M, Miura I, Dainichi T, Fukuda S, Kabashima K, Nakaoka S, Bin BH, Kubo M, Ohno H, Hasegawa T, Ohara O, Koseki H, Wakana S, and Yoshida H.:
"Hyperactivation of JAK1 tyrosine kinase induces stepwise, progressive pruritic dermatitis."
J. Clin. Invest. 126(6):2064–2076(2016)
8.Kubo, M.:
"TCF-1 and LEF-1 help launch the T(FH) program"
Nat. Immunol. 16(9):900-901(2015)
9.Xu, W. Domingues, RG., Fonseca-Pereira, D., Ferreira, M., Ribeiro, H., Lopez-Lastra, S., Motomura, Y., Moreira-Santos, L., Bihl, F., Braud,V., Kee, B., Brady, H., Coles, MC., Vosshenrich, C., Kubo, M., Di Santo, J.P. and Veiga-Fernandes, H.:
"NFIL3 orchestrates the emergence of common helper innate lymphoid cell precursors."
Cell Rep. 10(12), 2043–2054(2015)
10.Motomura, Y., Morita, H., Moro, K., Nakae, S., Artis, D., Endo TA, Kuroki, Y., Ohara, O., Koyasu,S. and Kubo, M.:
"Basophil-derived interleukin-4 controls the function of natural helper cells, a member of ILC2s, in lung inflammation"
Immunity 40(5) 758–771(2014)

Recent Research Results

Sep. 16, 2021
Why live attenuated vaccines offer more protection against influenza than inactivated vaccines
Feb. 16, 2018
Food allergies could be treated by inhibitors that prevent histamine release
Jul. 25, 2014
A new target for allergy therapies

Lab Members

Principal investigator

Masato Kubo: Team Leader

Core members

Kosuke Miyauchi: Deputy Team Leader

Contact Information

North Research Building,
1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku,
Yokohama City, Kanagawa,
230-0045, Japan
Tel: +81-(0)45-503-7047
Fax: +81-(0)45-503-7046
Email: masato.kubo [at] riken.jp