Thais Salazar-Mather, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medical Science

Ph.D., Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, WV, 1992.

Brown University
BioMedical Center, GG Room 575
P 401.863.9775 F 401.863.1971
Thais_Mather@brown.edu

RESEARCH SUMMARY

Our research interests revolve around understanding microbial pathogenic mechanisms at the molecular level and the interaction of pathogens with the host immune system. Studies have focused on the in vivo role of early virus-induced cytokines and chemokines on the recruitment of immune effector cells to localized sites of infection for effective delivery of innate immune mechanisms. This work has identified a novel chemokine-dependent mechanism for NK cell trafficking to the liver. Many basic techniques in cellular immunology, virology, molecular biology, histology and in vivo trafficking assays are being used to further understand inflammatory and protective responses in tissues. Current studies are aimed at defining the mechanisms of innate cytokine/chemokine networks required for the delivery of immune cell functions to different anatomical sites, and evaluating in vivo chemokine functions for antiviral defenses. Recent efforts have identified a role for type 1 interferons in the regulation of chemokine responses promoting macrophage and NK cell recruitment and defense against a viral infection established in the liver.

back to top

PUBLICATIONS

Hokeness, K.L., E.S. Deweerd, M.W. Munks, C.A. Lewis, R.P. Gladue, and T.P. Salazar-Mather.  CXCR3-dependent recruitment of antigen-specific T lymphocytes to liver during murine cytomegalovirus infection.   J. Virol.  doi:10.1128/JVI.01937-06

Salazar-Mather, T.P. and K.L Hokeness. Cytokine and chemokine networks: Pathways to antiviral defense.  Curr. Top. Micro. Immunol. 303:29-46, 2006.

Huang D, F.D. Shi, S. Jung, G.C. Pien, J. Wang, Salazar-Mather, T.P. He T.T., Weaver, JT, H.G. Ljunggren, C.A. Biron, D.R. Littman, R.M. Ransohoff. The neuronal chemokine CX3CL1/fractalkine selectively recruits NK cells that modify experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis within the central nervous system. FASEB J. 7:896-905, 2006.

Hokeness, K.L., W.A. Kuziel, C.A. Biron, and T.P. Salazar-Mather. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and CCR2 interactions are required for IFN-α/β-induced inflammatory responses and antiviral defense in liver.  J. Immunol. 174:1549-1556, 2005.

Salazar-Mather, T.P. and K.L. Hokeness.  Calling in the troops: Regulation of inflammatory cell trafficking through innate cytokine/chemokine networks. Viral Immunol., 16:291-306, 2003.

Serbina, N., T.P. Salazar-Mather, C.A. Biron, W.A. Kuziel, and E.G. Pamer.  TNF/iNOS producing dendritic cells (Tip-DCs) mediate innate immune defense against bacterial infection.  Immunity, 19:59-70, 2003.

Salazar-Mather, T.P., C.A. Lewis, and C.A. Biron. Type 1 interferons regulate inflammatory cell trafficking and macrophage inflammatory protein 1a delivery to the liver.  J. Clin. Invest. 110:321-330, 2002.

Dalod, M., T.P. Salazar-Mather, L. Malmgaard, C.A. Lewis, and C.A. Biron.  IFN-a/b and IL-12 responses to viral infections: Pathways regulating dendritic cell cytokine expression in vivo. J. Exp. Med. 195:517-528, 2002.

Malmgarrd, L., T.P. Salazar-Mather, C.A. Lewis, and C.A. Biron.  Pathways to IFN-a/b induction in vivo during viral infection.  J. Virol. 76:4520-4525, 2002.

Salazar-Mather, T.P., T.A. Hamilton, and C.A. Biron. A chemokine-to-cytokine-to chemokine cascade critical in antiviral defense. J. Clin. Invest. 105:985-993, 2000.

Salazar-Mather, T.P., J.S. Orange, and C.A. Biron. Early murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection induces liver natural killer (NK) cell inflammation and protection through macrophage inflammatory protein 1 a (MIP-1a)-dependent pathways. J. Exp. Med. 187:1-14, 1998.

Biron, C.A., K.B. Nguyen, G.C. Pien, L.P. Cousens, and T.P. Salazar-Mather. Natural killer cells in antiviral defense: function and regulation by innate cytokines. Ann. Rev. Immunol. 17:189-220, 1999.