Kerkvliet Nancy I
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97330, USA.
Toxicol Pathol. 2012;40(2):138-42. doi: 10.1177/0192623311427710. Epub 2011 Nov 16.
I was honored to be the keynote speaker at the 30th Annual Society of Toxicologic Pathology Symposium "Toxicologic Pathology and the Immune System." I had the opportunity to reminisce about events in the 1970s that set the stage for the birth and subsequent growth of the field of immunotoxicology and to summarize my research career that has spanned the past 40 years as well. An initial focus on the immunotoxicity of pentachlorophenol led my laboratory into the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) field and the study of its most potent ligand, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). My research career has been devoted to trying to elucidate the immunological basis of TCDD's profound immunosuppressive activity that is mediated by activation of AHR. In recent years, my laboratory has focused on the role of CD4(+ )T cells as targets of TCDD, and we were the first to describe the induction of AHR-dependent regulatory T cells (Tregs). The ability to induce Tregs using an exogenous AHR ligand to activate the AHR-Treg pathway represents a novel approach to the prevention and/or treatment of autoimmune disease. We are currently searching for such ligands.
我很荣幸成为第30届毒理病理学会年会“毒理病理学与免疫系统”的主题演讲人。我有机会回顾了20世纪70年代为免疫毒理学领域的诞生和随后的发展奠定基础的一些事件，也总结了我过去40年的研究历程。最初对五氯苯酚免疫毒性的关注使我的实验室进入了芳烃受体（AHR）领域，并对其最有效的配体2,3,7,8-四氯二苯并对二恶英（TCDD）展开研究。我的研究工作一直致力于阐明由AHR激活介导的TCDD深刻免疫抑制活性的免疫学基础。近年来，我的实验室聚焦于CD4(+)T细胞作为TCDD靶标的作用，并且我们是首个描述AHR依赖性调节性T细胞（Tregs）诱导过程的。利用外源性AHR配体激活AHR-Treg途径来诱导Tregs的能力代表了一种预防和/或治疗自身免疫性疾病的新方法。我们目前正在寻找此类配体。
