Immunology Graduate Group

Hao Shen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Microbiology

Address: 303C Johnson Pavilion
Office Phone: (215) 573-5259
Lab Phone: (215) 573-2890
Fax: (215) 573-9068
Email: hshen@mail.med.upenn.edu

Dr. Shen's Microbiology page
Dr. Shen's Cell & Molecular Biology page

Education:
Postdoctoral Fellow, UCLA School of Medicine
Ph.D., University of California - Riverside
B.S., Jiangxi University

Research Interests

T cell memory, Immune modulation by microbes, Immunity to emerging infectious and bioterror agents

Research Summary
We are interested in understanding how the microbial virulence strategies affect the nature and magnitude of the host response and how the resulting immune response influences the course of infection. We use the intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes as a model and employ a multidisciplinary approach that combines recent technical and conceptual advances in molecular genetics, microbial pathogenesis, cell biology and immunology. By genetically manipulation of the bacterium, we are identifying different aspects of bacterial antigens that influence their ability to induce a T cell response and to serve as a protective target. By genetic manipulation of both the microbe and the murine host, we are examining how various immune effectors counter different microbial virulence factors. Through these studies, we hope to identify new immune correlates of protection and understand the host and microbial factors that help establishing or disturbing the immunological memory.

We are also applying our expertise in cellular immunology and microbial pathogenesis to study emerging pathogens and bioterror agents. We are identifying T cell epitopes in Ebola and examining how the soluble glycoprotein (sGP) of Ebola may interfere with the ability of dendritic cells to prime T cell responses. We are studying the early immune response to the pulmonary form of anthrax infection and investigating the role of microbial phospholipases and hemolysin in modulating the host response. The long-term objective of our studies is to provide a platform for rational design of effective vaccines to combat today's complex infectious diseases and potential bioterror threats.

Recent Publications

Shedlock DJ, Shen H. Requirement for CD4 T cell help in generating functional CD8 T cell memory. Science. 2003; 300 (5617):337-9.

Zhong XP, Hainey EA, Olenchock BA, Jordan MS, Maltzman JS, Nichols KE, Shen H, Koretzky GA. Enhanced T cell responses due to diacylglycerol kinase zeta deficiency. Nat Immunol. 2003;4(9):882-90.

Shedlock DJ, Whitmire JK, Tan J, MacDonald AS, Ahmed R, Shen H. Role of CD4 T Cell Help and Costimulation in CD8 T Cell Responses During Listeria monocytogenes Infection. J Immunol. 2003 ; 170(4):2053-63.

Shen H, Whitmire JK, Fan X, Shedlock DJ, Kaech SM, Ahmed R. A specific role for B cells in the generation of CD8 T cell memory by recombinant Listeria monocytogenes. J Immunol. 2003 ; 170(3):1443-51.

Troy AE, Shen H. Cutting edge: homeostatic proliferation of peripheral T lymphocytes is regulated by clonal competition. J Immunol. 2003 ;170(2):672-6.

Zenewicz LA, Foulds KE, Jiang J, Fan X, Shen H. Nonsecreted bacterial proteins induce recall CD8 T cell responses but do not serve as protective antigens. J Immunol. 2002 ; 169 (10):5805-12.

San Mateo LR, Chua MM, Weiss SR, Shen H. Perforin-mediated CTL cytolysis counteracts direct cell-cell spread of Listeria monocytogenes. J Immunol. 2002 ;169(9):5202-8.

Foulds KE, Zenewicz LA, Shedlock DJ, Jiang J, Troy AE, Shen H. Cutting edge: CD4 and CD8 T cells are intrinsically different in their proliferative responses. J Immunol. 2002 ;168(4):1528-32.

 

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