Celia Brosnan

Pathology and Neuroscience

Forchheimer Bldg
Room 520
(718) 430-2140; (718) 430-2048

 

Molecular Neuroimmunology

Research is my laboratory is directed towards an understanding of the processes involved in inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS), with a particular focus on the etiopathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is considered to be an autoimmune disorder of the CNS that targets myelin, resulting in immune-mediated loss of myelin, neurons and axons. There are two major components to our work. The first deals with the contribution of gamma-delta T cells. These cells represent a minor population of the circulating T cell pool whose exact function remains unknown. However, ongoing studies have shown that they form a unique component of the immune response, recognizing antigens in a manner that differs from both alpha-beat T cells and B cells. They can be shown to respond to phosphate antigens, which are highly enriched in the CNS, and to rapidly release large amount of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, implicating them in the initiation of inflammatory responses. The second area of research deals with the contribution of endogenous glia to the inflammatory process. Both astrocytes and microglia can be shown to regulate inflammatory and immune responses in the CNS and we are studying how this process is regulated and how it could be modified to facilitate CNS repair and regeneration.

 

Selected Publications

John G.R., Simpson J.E., Woodroofe M.N., Lee SC, Brosnan C.F. Extracellular nucleotides differentially regulate interleukin-1beta signaling in primary human astrocytes: implications for inflammatory gene expression. J Neuroscience 2001;21:4134-42

Liu J.S., John G.R., Sikora A., Lee S.C., Brosnan C.F. Modulation of interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha signaling by P2 purinergic receptors in human fetal astrocytes. J Neuroscience 2000;20:5292-9

Rajan A.J., Asensio V.C., Campbell I.L., Brosnan C.F. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis on the SJL mouse: effect of gamma delta T cell depletion on chemokine and chemokine receptor expression in the central nervous system. J Immunology 2000;164:2120-30

Cipriani B., Borsellino G., Poccia F., Placido R., Tramonti D., Bach S., Battistini L., Brosnan C.F. Activation of C-C beta-chemokines in human peripheral blood gammadelta T cells by isopentenyl pyrophosphate and regulation by cytokines. Blood 2000;95:39-47

John G.R., Scemes E., Suadicani S.O., Liu J.S., Charles P.C., Lee S.C., Spray D.C., Brosnan C.F. IL-1beta differentially regulates calcium wave propagation between primary human fetal astrocytes via pathways involving P2 receptors and gap junction channels. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1999;96:11613-8