Welcome!
The Kumamoto Lab has opened in summer 2017 in the Cancer Center Building at the New Jersey Medical School campus in Newark. We are a part of the interdisciplinary Center for Immunity and Inflammation and the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
​
We are intrigued by the complexity and flexibility of how mononuclear phagocyte system functions at the interface between the innate and adaptive immune system. Our projects aim to understand how different types of mononuclear phagocytes including monocyte, macrophage and dendritic cell subsets divide their immunological tasks in face of infection and other environmental challenges. We believe deeper understanding of their function helps us to develop new strategies for the cure and prevention of diseases.
Our research
Our current research focuses on the role of dendritic cell subsets in T cell priming.
​
Dendritic cells are specialized for priming antigen-specific T cells by sensing, collecting and presenting antigens to T cells. Dendritic cells are very heterogeneous in their phenotype and function, and are often categorized into several subsets based on their gene expression.
Experimentally, we use cell surface molecules as "markers" for defining a dendritic cell subset. The above picture shows two such markers CD207 (red) and CD301b (blue) in the lymph node of a mouse sensitized by a contact allergen FITC (green). As you can see, red and blue cells are not intermingling with each other but rather show territorial distribution, meaning dendritic cells expressing CD207 and those expressing CD301b have distinct niche in the lymph node.
​
We have been focusing mainly on the role of CD301b-expressing dendritic cells. Our previous studies show that they are required for the differentiation of Th2-type effector CD4T cells as well as for regulating class-switched antibody production. Our current goal is to understand how and why they are different from other dendritic cell subsets.