Roychoudhuri Lab
Mechanisms of tolerance and immunosuppression
CD4+ and CD8+ effector T cells promote immune activation and can drive clearance of infections and cancer. Effector T cells can also promote autoimmune and allergic inflammation, a potentially deleterious activity which is restrained by a diverse set of peripheral tolerance mechanisms. While mechanisms of peripheral tolerance therefore play a beneficial role in preventing inflammation, similar mechanisms can also powerfully suppress immune responses during chronic infections and cancer in a process known as immunosuppression.
Our research aims to understand molecular and cellular mechanisms of peripheral tolerance and immunosuppression under physiological conditions, and during infection, inflammation and cancer. We apply a variety of approaches including mouse genetics, cellular immunology, molecular biology and functional genomics. Identifying mechanisms of peripheral tolerance and immunosuppression may enable development of new therapies aimed at manipulating immune function in patients with inflammation and cancer.
Key publications
BACH transcription factors in innate and adaptive immunity.
Igarashi K, Kurosaki T, Roychoudhuri R.
Nat Rev Immunol. 2017 doi: 10.1038/nri.2017.26.
Ionic immune suppression within the tumour microenvironment limits T cell effector function.
Eil R, Vodnala SK, Clever D, Klebanoff CA, Sukumar M, Pan JH, Palmer DC, Gros A, Yamamoto TN, Patel SJ, Guittard GC, Yu Z, Carbonaro V, Okkenhaug K, Schrump DS, Marston Linehan W, Roychoudhuri R, Restifo NP.
Nature 2016 doi:10.1038/nature19364
Oxygen Sensing by T Cells Establishes an Immunologically Tolerant Metastatic Niche.
David Clever, Rahul Roychoudhuri, Michael G. Constantinides, Michael H. Askenase, Madhusudhanan Sukumar, Christopher A. Klebanoff, Robert L. Eil, Heather D. Hickman, Zhiya Yu, Jenny H. Pan, Douglas C. Palmer, Anthony T. Phan, John Goulding, Luca Gattinoni, Ananda W. Goldrath, Yasmine Belkaid, Nicholas P. Restifo.
Cell. 2016 166:1117-31.
BACH2 regulates CD8(+) T cell differentiation by controlling access of AP-1 factors to enhancers.
Roychoudhuri, R, Clever D, Li P, Wakabayashi Y, Quinn KM, Klebanoff CA, Ji Y, Sukumar M, Eil RL, Yu Z, Spolski R, Palmer DC, Pan JH, Patel SJ, Macallan DC, Fabozzi G, Shih HY, Kanno Y, Muto A, Zhu J, Gattinoni L, O'Shea JJ, Okkenhaug K, Igarashi K, Leonard WJ, Restifo NP.
Nat Immunol. 2016 17:851-60.
The transcription factor BACH2 promotes tumor immunosuppression.
Roychoudhuri R, Eil RL, Clever D, Klebanoff CA, Sukumar M, Grant F, Yu Z, Mehta G, Liu H, Jin P, Ji Y, Palmer DC, Pan JH, Chichura A, Crompton JG, Patel SJ, Stroncek D, Wang E, Marincola FM, Okkenhaug K, Gattinoni L, Restifo NP.
J Clin Invest. 2016 126:599-604.
BACH2 represses effector programs to stabilize T(reg)-mediated immune homeostasis.
Roychoudhuri R, Hirahara K, Mousavi K, Clever D, Klebanoff CA, Bonelli M, Sciumè G, Zare H, Vahedi G, Dema B, Yu Z, Liu H, Takahashi H, Rao M, Muranski P, Crompton JG, Punkosdy G, Bedognetti D, Wang E, Hoffmann V, Rivera J, Marincola FM, Nakamura A, Sartorelli V, Kanno Y, Gattinoni L, Muto A, Igarashi K, O'Shea JJ, Restifo NP.
Nature. 2013 498:506-10.
Super-enhancers delineate disease-associated regulatory nodes in T cells.
Vahedi G, Kanno Y, Furumoto Y, Jiang K, Parker SC, Erdos MR, Davis SR, Roychoudhuri R, Restifo NP, Gadina M, Tang Z, Ruan Y, Collins FS, Sartorelli V, O'Shea JJ.
Nature. 2015 520:558-62.
Joining the group
A postdoctoral research scientist position in cancer immunology is currently available. Details on how to apply are found here.
Informal enquiries regarding PhD and postdoctoral positions can be made by email and should include details of the applicant's research background and a curriculum vitae.