Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Godfrey Laboratory

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Include: Research Interests | Major Research Projects | Laboratory Staff | Recent Publications

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Professor Dale Godfrey's Home Page

Research Interests

The laboratory is interested in understanding the development and function of NKT cells.

The research program is divided into three major areas.The first is to investigate NKT cell development and homeostasis. The second focus of the laboratory is to understand the role that NK cells play in tumour immunity. The third area of interest is T cell development and the role of glucocorticoid hormones.

Major Research Projects

  1. NKT cell development and selection in mice and humans
  2. NKT cell subsets and functional diversity
  3. NKT cells and tumour immunity
  4. NKT cell function in autoimmunity
  5. The role of glycolipid antigens in NKT cell development and function
  6. Glucocorticoids and T cell development and function
    Download the participant information statement for the recruitment of volunteer blood donors for the study of the role of corticosteroids in immune cell function and survival.
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Laboratory Staff

Lab Head: Professor Dale Godfrey

Senior Research Officers: Dr Stuart Berzins and Dr Sumone Chakravarti

Lab Manager: Dr Nadine Crowe

Research Officers: Drs Angela Chan, Edwin Leeansyah, Douglas Liddicoat, Adam Uldrich

Research Assistant: Mr Kon Kyparissoudis

PhD Students: Miss Lauren Pitt, Mr Paul Bolitho, Mr Daniel Pellicci

Honours Students: Miss Bethany Macleod, Miss Fiona Ross, Mr Garth Cameron

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Recent Publications

List of Publications prior to 2007

  1. Guillonneau C, Mintern J, Hubert F, Hurt A, Besra G, Porcelli S, Barr I, Doherty P, Godfrey D, Turner S. Combined NKT cell activation and influenza virus vaccination boosts memory CTL generation and protective immunity. Proc Nat Acad Sci (USA) 2009; 106: 3330-3335.
  2. Godfrey D, Stankovi S, Baxter A. Developing NKT cells need their calcium. Nature Immunology 2009; 10: 231-233.
  3. Pellicci D, Patel O, Kjer-Nielsen L, Pang SS, Sullivan L, Kyparissoudis K, Brooks A, Reid HH, Gras S, Lucet IS, Koh R, Smyth MJ, Mallevaey T, Matsuda JL, Gapin L, McCluskey J, Godfrey D, Rossjohn R. Differential recognition of CD1d-α-galactosyl ceramide by the Vβ8.2 Vβ7 semi-invariant NKT T cell receptors. Immunity 2009; 31: 47-59.
  4. Chan AC, Serwecinska L, Cochrane A, Harrison LC, Godfrey DI, Berzins SP. Immune characterization of an individual with exceptionally high NKT cell frequency and her immediate family. Clin Exp Immunol 2009;156(2): 238-45.
  5. Morris E, MacDonald K, Kuns R, Morris H, Banovic T, Don A, Rowe V, Wilson Y, Raffelt N, Hill G, Smyth M, Godfrey D, Markey K, Burman A, Engwerda C. Induction of natural killer T cell-dependent alloreactivity by administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor after bone marrow transplantation. Nature Medicine 2009; 15: 436-441.
  6. Bolitho P, Street SEA, Westwood JA, Edelmann W, MacGregor D, Waring P, Murray WK, Godfrey DI, Trapani JA, Johnstone RW, Smyth MJ. Perforin-mediated suppression of B cell lymphoma. PNAS 2009;106(8): 2723-8.
  7. Fernandez CS, Chan AC, Kyparissoudis K, De Rose R, Godfrey DI, Kent SJ. Peripheral NKT cells in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected macaques. J Virol 2009; 83: 1617-1624.
  8. Mallevaey T, Scott-Browne JP, Matsuda JL, Young MH, Pellicci D, Patel O, Thakur M, Kjer-Nielsen L, Richardson SK, Cerundolo V, Howell AR, McCluskey J, Godfrey D, Rossjohn J, Marrack P, Gapin L. T cell receptor CDR2β and CDR3β loops collaborate functionally to shape the iNKT cell repertoire. Immunity 2009; 31: 60-71.
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  9. Swann J, Uldrich A, van Dommelen S, Murray W, Godfrey D, Smyth M. Type I natural killer T cells suppress tumors caused by p53 loss in mice. Blood 2009; 113: 6382-6385.
  10. Wun K, Borg N, Kjer-Nielsen L, Beddoe T, Koh R, Richardson S, Thakur M, Howell A, Scott-Browne J, Rossjohn J, McCluskey J, Godfrey D, Gapin L. A minimal binding footprint on CD1d-glycolipid is a basis for selection of the unique human NKT TCR . Journal of Experimental Medicine 2008; 205: 939-49.
  11. Stanley A, Zhou Y, Amante F, Randall L, Haque A, Pellicci D, Hill G, Smyth M, Godfrey D, Engwerda C. Activation of invariant NKT cells exacerbates experimental visceral leishmaniasis. PLoS Pathogens 2008; 4: 1-14.
  12. Fletcher F, Jordan M, Snelgrove S, Slattery R, Dufour F, Kyparissoudis K, Besra G, Godfrey D, Baxter A. Congenic analysis of the NKT cell control gene Nkt2 implicates the peroxisomal protein Pxmp4. Journal of Immunology 2008; 181: 3400-3412.
  13. Coquet JMC, Chakravarti S, Smyth M, Godfrey D. Cutting edge: IL-21 is not essential for Th17 differentiation or experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Journal of Immunology 2008; 180: 7097-7101.
  14. Coquet JC, Chakravarti S, Kyparissoudis K, McNab FW, Pitt LA, McKenzie B, Berzins SP, Smyth MJ, Godfrey DI. Diverse cytokine production by NKT cell subsets and identification of an IL-17 producing CD4-NK1.1- NKT cell population. PNAS 2008; 105: 11287-11292.
  15. Thomas JD, Morris KR, Godfrey D, Lowenthal JW, Bean AGD. Expression, purification and characterisation of recombinant Escherichia coli derived chicken interleukin-12. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 2008; 126: 403-406.
  16. Christiansen D, Milland J, Mouhtouris E, Vaughan H, Pellicco DG, McConville MJ, Godfrey DI, Sandrin MS. Humans lack iGb3 due to the absence of functional iGb3-synthase: implications for NKT cell development, self-recognition and transplantation. PLOS biology 2008; 6: 1527-1538.
  17. Pitt LA, Hubert F-X, Scott HS, Godfrey DI, Berzins SP. NKT cell development in the absence of the autoimmune regulator (Aire). Eur J Immunol 2008; 38(10): 2689-96.
  18. Cretney E, Uldrich AP, McNab, FW, Godfrey DI, Smyth MJ. No requirement for TRAIL in intrathymic negative selection. Int Immunol 2008; 20: 267-276.
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  19. Godfrey D, Rossjohn J, McCluskey J. The fidelity, occasional promiscuity, and versatility of T cell receptor recognition. Immunity 2008; 28: 304-14.
  20. Swann J, Coquet JMC, Smyth M, Godfrey D. CD1-restricted T cells and tumor immunity. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology 2007; 314: 293-321.
  21. Borg N, Wun K, Kjer-Nielsen L, Wilce MC, Pellicci D, Koh R, Besra G, BharadwajM, Godrey D, McCluskey J, Rossjohn J. CD1d-lipid-antigen recognition by the semi-invariant NKT T-cell receptor. Nature 2007; 448: 44-49.
  22. Godfrey D, Berzins S. Control points in NKT-cell development. Nature Reviews Immunology 2007; 7: 505-518.
  23. Coquet JMC, Kyparissoudis K, D Pellicci D, Besra G, Berzins S, Smyth M, Godfrey D. IL-21 Is Produced by NKT Cells and Modulates NKT Cell Activation and Cytokine Production. Journal of Immunology 2007; 178: 2827-2834.
  24. McNab FW, Pellicci D, Field K, Besra G, Smyth M, Godfrey D, Berzins S. Peripheral NK1.1- NKT cells are mature and functionally distinct from their thymic counterparts. Journal of Immunology 2007; 179: 6630-6637.

 

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