Yueh-hsiu Chien

Yueh-hsiu Chien, Associate Professor Microbiology and Immunology Fairchild D338, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5124 Tel: (650) 723-1078; FAX: (650) 725-6757 Email:

Email: chien@leland.Stanford.edu

We want to know how immune system clears infection, avoids autoimmune diseases and how infection impacts on the development of autoimmunity.
Yersinia are gram-negative bacteria related to the causative agent of bubonic plague. They can cause enteric diseases, lymphadenitis and septicemia. In addition, mild infection may trigger autoimmune disorders such as thyoiditis and reactive arthritis. We found that in this infection model, both ab and gd T cells are essential in maintaining the host defense, but their effects are different. We want to know what these effects are and how the infection modulates immune responses to non-Yersinia antigens.
Insulin dependent diabetic mellitus (IDDM) results from T cell mediated destruction of the b cells of the pancreas. The non-obese-diabetic (NOD) mice spontaneously develops autoimmune diabetes in a manner mimics the human disease processes. We want to understand the development of these self reactive T cells before and during disease progression, as well as after therapeutic intervention. We also want to know if and how infection would change the reactive characteristics of these autoreactive cells.

Gutgemann, I., Fahrer, A., Altman, J., Davis, M., and Chien, Y-h., Induction of rapid T cell activation and tolerance by systemic presentation of an orally administered antigen. Immunty 8:667-73, 1998
Hampl, J., Chien, Y-h and M. Davis. CD4 augments the response of a T cell to agonist but not to antagonist ligands. Immunity, 7:379-85, 1997
Crowley, M. P., Reich, Z., Mavaddat, N., Altman, J., and Y-h Chien. A non classical MHC class I molecule, T 10, lacks peptide yet is thermally stable and immunological competent. J. Exp. Med. 185:1223-30, 1997.
Chien, Y-h., Jores, R., and Crowley, M. Recognition by gd T cells. Annu. Rev. Immunol. 14:511, 1996.
Schild, H., Mavaddat, N., Litzenberger, C.L., Ehrich, E.W., Davis, M. M., Bluestone, J., Matis, L., Draper, R., and Chien, Y-h. The nature of MHC recognition by gd T cells. Cell. 76:29, 1994.

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