Laboratory for Immune Diversity
Team Leader
Ji-Yang WANG (Ph.D.)
Antibodies are crucial effectors for host defense mediated by neutralization and opsonization of pathogens and by activation of the complement system. Antibodies are also important regulators of immune responses, acting through binding to the Fc receptors expressed by various immune cells. Insufficient or excess production of antibodies can lead to immunodeficiencies or autoimmune diseases, respectively. The goal of our current research is to understand how B cell activation and differentiation are positively and negatively regulated to allow appropriate production of diversified antibodies of different classes and to achieve effective humoral immunity.
- Uncover new pathways that regulate B cell activation and differentiation
- Explore the mechanism of A/T mutations in the germinal center B cells
- Elucidate the function of the receptor for IgM in the humoral immune response
- July 11, 2008
- Clarification of a new mechanism of suppression of excess T-cell activation through T-cell receptor complex degradation process
- Masuda, K., Mori, H., Ohara, O., Nakayama, M., Wang, J.-Y. and Burrows, P.:
"Defining the immunological phenotype of Fc receptor-like B (FCRLB) deficient mice: confounding role of the inhibitory FcγRIIb."
Cell. Immunol. 266: 24-31 (2010). - Ouchida, R., Kurosaki, T. and Wang, J.-Y.:
" A role for lysosomal-associated protein transmembrane 5 in the negative regulation of surface BCR levels and B cell activation. "
J. Immunol. 185: 294-301 (2010). (featured in "In This Issue") - Shima, H. Takatsu, H., Fukuda, S., Ohmae, M., Hase, K., Kubagawa, H., Wang, J.-Y., Ohno, H.:
"Identification of TOSO/FAIM3 as an Fc receptor for IgM."
Int. Immunol. 22: 149-156 (2010). - Kubagawa, H., Oka, S., Kubagawa, Y., Torii, I., Takayama, E., Kang, D.W., Gartland, G.L., Bertoli, L.F., Mori, H., Takatsu, H., Kitamura, T., Ohno, H. and Wang, J.-Y.:
"Identity of the elusive IgM Fc receptor (FcμR) in humans."
J. Exp. Med. 206: 2779-2793 (2009). - Mori, H., Ouchida, R., Hijikata, A., Kitamura, H., Ohara, O., Li, Y., Gao, X., Yasui, A., Lloyd, R.S., Wang, J.-Y.:
"Deficiency of the oxidative damage-specific DNA glycosylase NEIL1 leads to reduced germinal center B cell expansion."
DNA Repair 8: 1328-1332 (2009). (highlighted in "This Month in DNA Repair") - Ukai, A., Ishimaru, K., Ouchida, R., Mori, H., Kano, C., Moritan, T. and Wang, J.-Y.:
"Induction of A:T mutations is dependent on cellular environment but independent of mutation frequency and target gene location."
J. Immunol. 181: 7835-7842 (2008). - Masuda, K., Ouchida, R., Yokoi, M., Hanaoka, F., Azuma, T. and Wang, J.-Y.:
"DNA polymerase η is a limiting factor for A:T mutations in Ig genes and contributes to the antibody affinity maturation."
Eur. J. Immunol. 38: 2796-2805 (2008). (highlighted in "In this issue") - Wang, J.-Y.:
"Mutation frequency vs. mutation patterns: a comparison of the results in spleen and Peyer's patches."
DNA Repair 7: 1408-1410 (2008). - Ehrhardt, G., Hijikata, A., Kitamura, H., Ohara, O., Wang, J.-Y., and Cooper, M. D.:
"Distinctive gene expression profiles of memory B cell subpopulations in humans."
J. Exp. Med. 205: 1807-1817 (2008). - Ouchida, R., Yamasaki, S., Hikida, M., Masuda, K., Kawamura, K., Wada, A., Mochizuki, S., Tagawa, M., Sakamoto, A., Hatano, M., Tokuhisa, T., Koseki, H., Saito, T., Kurosaki, T. and Wang, J.-Y.:
"A Lysosomal protein negatively regulates surface T cell antigen receptor expression by promoting CD3ζ degradation."
Immunity 29: 33-43 (2008).
Principal Investigator
- Jiyang O-WANG
- Team Leader
Members
- Rika OUCHIDA
- Yohei KAWAI
- Shuyin LI
- Yanfei ZHANG
- Chie KANO
- Hiromi MORI