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Research Interests
Our laboratory studies the role of the cytokine interleukin-4 (IL-4)
in immune responses. We have generated mouse strains that are genetically
deficient for IL-4 or the IL-4 receptor, and used them in several models
of infection and allergy. One aspect of our research has focused on IL-4
and IL-4R knockouts in infection with the protozoan parasite Leishmania
major, which is the prototypic model for studying Th1 and Th2 responses
in vivo. These experiments have revealed that in the absence of IL-4 or
IL-4R, certain substrains of L. major parasites escape immune control
mechanisms through an alternative cytokine pathway. Our goal is to identify
this cytokine and also study how L. major parasites trigger this pathway.
Because IL-4 is involved with so many immune processes, a second focus
of our research is to identify cellular sources of the initial burst of
IL-4 secretion and the specific properties of antigen and antigen presentation
that promote Th2 differentiation.
Selected Publications Top
1. Noben-Trauth, N., Kropf, P. and Muller, I., Susceptibility to Leishmania major infection in interleukin-4-deficient mice. Science 1996. 271: 987-990.
2. Noben-Trauth, N., Shultz, L. D., Brombacher, F., Urban, J. F., Jr., Gu, H. and Paul, W. E., An interleukin 4 (IL-4)-independent pathway for CD4+ T cell IL-4 production is revealed in IL-4 receptor-deficient mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1997. 94: 10838-10843.
3. Noben-Trauth, N., Paul, W. E. and Sacks, D. L., IL-4- and IL-4 receptor-deficient BALB/c mice reveal differences in susceptibility to Leishmania major parasite substrains. J. Immunol. 1999. 162: 6132-6140.
4. Noben-Trauth, N., Hu-Li, J. and Paul, W. E., Conventional, naive CD4+ T cells provide an initial source of IL-4 during Th2 differentiation. J. Immunol. 2000. 165: 3620-3625.
5. Urban, J. F., Jr., Noben-Trauth, N., Schopf, L., Madden, K. B. and Finkelman, F. D., Cutting edge: IL-4 receptor expression by non-bone marrow-derived cells is required to expel gastrointestinal nematode parasites. J. Immunol. 2001. 167: 6078-6081.
Contact Information Top
Nancy Noben-Trauth, Ph.D.
Department of Immunology
The George Washington University
Ross Hall, Room 407
2300 Eye St., NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
202-994-0531
202-994-9420 (FAX)
nnoben@gwu.edu
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