Adaptivt immunförsvar

Welcome to the Adaptive Immunity Research Group! 

Bengt Johansson-Lindbom head of this research group, part of the Division of Immunology, focusing on sub-specialization of T helper cells

CD4+ T cells are mandatory for the integrity of most immune functions and are hence important for protection against pathogens. It is also critically involved in most autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, affecting millions of people worldwide.

CD4+ T cells display specialized effector activities which are associated with their capacity to eliminate pathogens and to cause clinical manifestations of inflammatory diseases. A major branching in the sub-specialization of these cells is the division into T cells providing help for B cell antibody responses (i.e. follicular Th cells) and T cells controlling inflammatory responses in peripheral tissues (e.g. the canonical Th1 and Th2 subsets).

The objectives of our research are to:

1. Determine the underlying mechanism by which dendritic cells regulate T cell differentiation, giving rise to either peripheral tissue subsets or a B cell helping subset;
2. Identify mechanisms by which dendritic cells guide T cells into B cell follicles;
3. Identify molecules involved in the selective capacity of follicular Th cells to provide help for B cells;
4. Investigate if B cells influences the differentiation of follicular Th cells. An increased understanding of these processes would clearly be highly beneficial for the development of vaccines as well as for advances in treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.