Erin J Adams
Research Summary / Selected Publications
The vertebrate immune system has evolved to recognize foreign pathogens or disease in multitudinous ways. This function is mediated predominately by receptors expressed on the immune cell surface that survey their environment for the presence of non-self or altered self. Certain innate immune cells act as the first line of defense, immediately detecting infection or disease and initiating the downstream cascade of an adaptive immune response. Our interests focus on identifying the molecular recognition mechanisms of these receptors, and furthermore characterizing the signals to which they are responding. We are focusing on a particular cell type, gamma delta T cells, which reside in tissue compartments that are initial sites of infection such as the digestive and reproductive tracts, as well as the epidermis. These cells proliferate during infection, however it is unclear to what stimulus they are responding and what their function is in mediating the response to infection. Our goal is to identify these signals and characterize them both biochemically and structurally through recombinant protein expression, biophysical analysis such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and finally structurally to understand the molecular contacts that allow the specific recognition of their signals.
The vertebrate immune system has evolved to recognize foreign pathogens or disease in multitudinous ways. This function is mediated predominately by receptors expressed on the immune cell surface that survey their environment for the presence of non-self or altered self. Certain innate immune cells act as the first line of defense, immediately detecting infection or disease and initiating the downstream cascade of an adaptive immune response. Our interests focus on identifying the molecular recognition mechanisms of these receptors, and furthermore characterizing the signals to which they are responding. We are focusing on a particular cell type, gamma delta T cells, which reside in tissue compartments that are initial sites of infection such as the digestive and reproductive tracts, as well as the epidermis. These cells proliferate during infection, however it is unclear to what stimulus they are responding and what their function is in mediating the response to infection. Our goal is to identify these signals and characterize them both biochemically and structurally through recombinant protein expression, biophysical analysis such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and finally structurally to understand the molecular contacts...
Palakodeti A, Sandstrom A, Sundaresan L, Harly C, Nedellec S, Olive D, Scotet E, Bonneville M and Adams EJ. (2012). "The molecular basis for modulation of human Vγ9Vδ2 T cell responses by CD277/Butyrophilin-3 (BTN3A)-specific antibodies." J Biol Chem. Jul 30. [Epub ahead of print]
López-Sagaseta J, Sibener, LV, Kung JE, Gumperz J and Adams EJ. (2012) "Lysophospholipid presentation by CD1d and recognition by a human Natural Killer T cell receptor." EMBO J. Mar 6;31(8):2047-59
Sandstrom A, Scharf L, McRae G, Hawk AJ, Meredith SC, Adams EJ. (2012) "γδ T cell receptors recognize the nonclassical Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecule T22 via conserved anchor residues in a MHC-peptide-like fashion." J Biol Chem. Feb 17; 287(8):6035-43.
Kazen AR and Adams EJ (2011) The evolution of the V, D and J gene segments that comprise the primate γδ T cell receptor reveals a dichotomy of conservation and diversity. PNAS, Jul 19; 108(29): E332-40
Scharf L, Li N-S, Hawk AJ, Garzon D, Zhang T, Fox LM, Kazen AR, Shah S, Haddadian E, Gumperz JE, Saghatelian A, Faraldo-Gomez J, Meredith SC, Piccirilli JA, and Adams EJ (2010) "The 2.5 Å structure of CD1c in complex with a mycobacterial lipid reveals an open groove ideally suited for diverse antigen presentation." Immunity, Dec 14;33(6):853-62.
Adams, E.J.*, Strop P, Shin S, Chien YH and Garcia, K.C*. (2008) "A structurally and energetically autonomous CDR3δ mediates γδ T cell recognition of the MHC Nonclassical Class I molecules T10 and T22." Nat Immunol., 9:777.
Adams, E.J, Chien YH and Garcia, K.C. (2005). "Structure of a γδT cell receptor complexed with the non-classical MHC T22." Science, 308:227.
Palakodeti A, Sandstrom A, Sundaresan L, Harly C, Nedellec S, Olive D, Scotet E, Bonneville M and Adams EJ. (2012). "The molecular basis for modulation of human Vγ9Vδ2 T cell responses by CD277/Butyrophilin-3 (BTN3A)-specific antibodies." J Biol Chem. Jul 30. [Epub ahead of print]
López-Sagaseta J, Sibener, LV, Kung JE, Gumperz J and Adams EJ. (2012) "Lysophospholipid presentation by CD1d and recognition by a human Natural Killer T cell receptor." EMBO J. Mar 6;31(8):2047-59
Sandstrom A, Scharf L, McRae G, Hawk AJ, Meredith SC, Adams EJ. (2012) "γδ T cell receptors recognize the nonclassical Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecule T22 via conserved anchor residues in a MHC-peptide-like fashion." J Biol Chem. Feb 17; 287(8):6035-43.
Kazen AR and Adams EJ (2011) The evolution of the V, D and J gene segments that comprise the primate γδ T cell receptor reveals a dichotomy of conservation and diversity. PNAS, Jul 19; 108(29): E332-40
Scharf L, Li N-S, Hawk AJ, Garzon D, Zhang T, Fox LM, Kazen AR, Shah S, Haddadian E, Gumperz JE, Saghatelian A, Faraldo-Gomez J, Meredith SC, Piccirilli JA, and Adams EJ (2010) "The 2.5 Å structure of CD1c in complex with a mycobacterial lipid reveals an open groove ideally suited for diverse antigen presentation." Immunity, Dec 14;33(6):853-62.
