Linterman Group

Linterman Group
Linterman Group
Michelle Linterman
Group Leader
Linterman Group

Research Summary

When higher organisms are infected by pathogens the immune system responds with the coordinated activation of many different cell types, each with their own specific role to bring about pathogen clearance, and subsequently generate immunological memory. Within the adaptive immune system helper CD4+ T cells and B cells specific for the infectious organism are recruited to become activated effector cells and a proportion of these cells will go on to become memory cells that are able to respond quickly to future infections.

Germinal centres are sites within tissues such as the tonsils, spleen and lymph nodes where B cells proliferate and differentiate during a normal immune response to an infection. Because of the central role of the germinal centre in generating immunological memory, a potent germinal centre response is critical for a successful response to vaccination. With advancing age, the size of the germinal centre response and the efficacy of vaccination diminish, and T cells are one of the primary contributors to this decline.

Our research is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular changes that occur in T cells with age that contribute to the age-dependent decline in the germinal centre response.

 

Featured Publications


 

B Cells from Aged Mice Do Not Have Intrinsic Defects in Affinity Maturation in Response to Immunization

Lee JL, Innocentin S, Silva-Cayetano A, Guillaume SM, Linterman MA.J
Immunol. Nov 2023
PMID: 37756528 


 

Age-dependent changes in T follicular helper cells shape the humoral immune response to vaccination

Linterman MA.
Semin Immunol. Sep 2023
PMID: 37379670 


 

Spatial dysregulation of T follicular helper cells impairs vaccine responses in aging

Silva-Cayetano A, Fra-Bido S, Robert PA, Innocentin S, Burton AR, Watson EM, Lee JL, Webb LMC, Foster WS, McKenzie RCJ, Bignon A, Vanderleyden I, Alterauge D, Lemos JP, Carr EJ, Hill DL, Cinti I, Balabanian K, Baumjohann D, Espeli M, Meyer-Hermann M, Denton AE, Linterman MA.
Nat Immunol. Jul 2023
PMID: 37217705

Group Members

Michelle Linterman

Group Leader

Alice Burton

Postdoctoral Fellow

Helena Carslaw

Research Assistant

William Foster

Visiting Scientist

Stephane Guillaume

Postdoc Research Scientist

Silvia Innocentin

Research Assistant

Jessica James

Visiting PhD Student

Francois Kwong

Clinical Research Fellow

Edith Marcial Juarez

Postdoc Research Scientist

Theresa Pankhurst

Honorary Fellow

Louise Webb

Principal Staff Scientist