University of California at Berkeley

This program project studies the interplay between pathogens and the immune system using mouse and several intracellular pathogens as model experimental systems. The experimental approaches take advantage of 2-photon imaging to track pathogens and immune cells within tissues in real-time, and transgenic/knockout mice to explore the role of specific molecule and cells in immune responses. The investigators in this proposal are an interactive group of immunologists/microbiologists, who are actively investigating host-pathogen interactions. 

The projects include:                                 

1 Initiation of immune responses to Toxoplasma gondii.

2 The role of "apoptotic proteins" in regulation of innate

immunity.

3 Induction of NK - cell ligands by viruses.

4 Host Pathogen Interactions between
Salmonella and Toll-like receptors.