报告题目：Germinal center in health and disease

报告人：  Dr. Zheng Biao, Associate Professor (tenured), Department of Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine；Director, Neuroimmonology, GlaxoSmithKline R & D China.

主持人：   李晓涛教授

报告时间：9月12日 15:00（周三）

报告地点：闵行生命科学学院大楼534报告厅

报告人简介：Zheng Biao博士，1993年获得英国伦敦大学免疫学博士学位，1995年至1999年分别在美国马里兰大学医学院、杜克大学医学院任研究助理，1999年任美国贝勒医学院免疫学系助理教授，2006年升为副教授，同时任贝勒医学院生物医学研究生院免疫学项目主任，2010年起任葛兰素史克中国研发公司神经免疫项目主任。

报告内容简介：After their activation by antigen in secondary lymphoid tissues, antigen-specific T- and B-lymphocytes form a transient histologic structure known as the germinal center (GC) in the follicular dendritic cell reticulum. GCs represent a remarkable lymphoid microenvironment that functions to expand and diversify antigen-reactive clones. Our studies focus on the molecular and cellular processes during the GC reaction, which is a focus of intense cellular proliferation, V(D)J hypermutation, and apoptotic death. GCs are microcosms of Darwinian evolution that share many of the processes usually thought to occur only during primary lymphopoiesis. Our work has suggested GC reaction as a new development and differentiation pathway for peripheral lymphocytes. GC reaction is a T cell-dependent process in which activated B cells mature to produce high-affinity antibodies and differentiate into memory B cells. In the absence of T-cell help, GC is not formed or not functional. The molecular mechanisms by which GC helper T-cells support GC B-cell survival and functional differentiation are not well-defined. We found that human GC helper T-cells provide help signal to B-cells through the inducible T-cell co-stimulator (ICOS)-ICOS ligand (ICOSL) interaction, and this pathway is essential for GC B-cell survival and functional differentiation. Aberrant GC response will lead to autoimmunity, immune deficiencies, and lymphomagenesis.