• Ph.D., Emory University, 1986
• M.D., Emory University, 1986
• B.S., Davidson College, 1980

Research Interests: My laboratory is interested in several aspects of mucosal immunology. A major interest is the contribution of the chemokine receptors CCR6, CCR9, and CCR10 to mucosal immune responses and lymphocyte homing to the small intestine. My group developed knockout mice that lack the CCR6 receptor and have a knocked in green fluorescent protein gene in place of CCR6. Phenotypic features of interest in these mice include an abnormal expansion of intraepithelial T lymphocytes in the small intestine and defective CD4+ T cell function. The roles of CCR9 and CCR10 in homing of IgA-producing plasma cells to the intestinal lamina propria are being studied using novel rat monoclonal antibodies directed against mouse CCR9 and CCR10. We are also studying the cellular interactions, cytokines, and chemokines involved in the development and maturation of the lymphoid aggregates that develop postnatally in the mouse small intestine. These lymphoid structures in the intestinal lamina propria are classified as cryptopatches (CP) and isolated lymphoid follicles (ILF) and are thought to serve as sites of T cell development and IgA response induction, respectively. We have recently demonstrated that development of both of these structures requires lymphotoxin alpha and the lymphotoxin beta receptor. We are currently studying the sequence of interactions between lymphoid tissue inducer cells and stromal cells responsible for lymphoid organogenesis in the intestine. Another area of interest is the mechanism by which the mucosal immune system senses the commensal bacterial flora in the intestine and responds by directing the expansion and maturation of ILF. We are testing the hypothesis that specific Toll-like receptors (TLR) stimulated by bacterial products play a central role in sensing the bacterial content of the intestine and driving ILF development.