Publ. Hlth

Granuloma formation is a hallmark of mycobacterial infection. The dominant cell types in granuloma are the blood monocyte derived macrophages and inflammatory dendritic cells that represent up to 80% of cells in these lesions. Using granuloma transplantation we demonstrated that in a week more than the third of these cells are replaced.

Accelerating the reconstitution of protective immune T cell populations and immune function, while avoiding graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), is crucial for improving clinical outcomes following hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation.

Memory homeostasis of Th1/Tc1 cells is well characterized, whereas memory Th17-cell homeostasis, persistence and plasticity are debated. We have shown that IL-17A-producing CD8+ T-cells (Tc17) are necessary for vaccine-induced fungal immunity in CD4+ T-cell compromised hosts. Here, we systematically evaluated persistence, fidelity, plasticity and functional role in immunity of anti-fungal Tc17 cells using IL-17A fate-mapping reporter mice.