Fast Moving Fronts Comments by Christine A. Biron

ESI Special Topics, May 2004
Citing URL: http://www.esi-topics.com/fmf/2004/may04-ChristineABiron.html

From •>>May 2004

Christine A. Biron answers a few questions about this month's fast moving front in the field of Immunology.

Field: Immunology
Article: Mouse type IIFN-producing cells are immature APCs with plasmacytoid morphology
Authors: Asselin-Paturel, C;Boonstra, A;Dalod, M;Durand, I;Yessaad, N;Dezutter-Dambuyant, C;Vicari, A;O'Garra, A;Biron, C;Briere, F;Trinchieri, G
Journal: NAT IMMUNOL, 2: (12) 1144-1150, DEC 2001
Addresses:
Schering Plough Corp, Lab Immunol Res, Dardilly, France.
Schering Plough Corp, Lab Immunol Res, Dardilly, France.
DNAX Res Inst Molec & Cellular Biol Inc, Dept Immunobiol, Palo Alto, CA USA.
Brown Univ, Dept Mol Microbiol & Immunol, Div Biol & Med, Providence, RI 02912 USA.
Ctr Hosp Edouard Herriot, INSERM Unite 346, Lyon, France.

  Why do you think your paper is highly cited?

“It is now clear that plasmacytoid dendritic cells can act as specialized cells to produce high levels of these factors both in vivo and in vitro.”

Because of its contribution to the characterization of the mouse equivalent of the human plasmacytoid dendritic cell, this paper made a significant contribution to the field. The studies presented demonstrated the importance of the cell subset for production of type 1 interferons in response to particular stimuli and viral infections both in vitro and in vivo.

  How did you become involved in this research?

The group of Girogio Trinchieri’s group at the Schering-Plough Laboratory for Immunological Research, including Carine Asselin-Paturel and Francine Briere, was characterizing the unique subset of cells. A post-doctoral fellow in my laboratory, Marc Dalod, was advancing work identifying the major producers of type 1 interferons during viral infections in vivo. The Schering-Plough group was aware of our experiments and asked if we would collaborate with them on the studies. It was a very complementary endeavor. Their group did the work characterizing the subset, but we were able to move their studies into the context of a viral infection in the host.

  Could you summarize the significance of your paper in layman's terms?

It has long been thought that the induction of the potent antiviral factors called type 1 interferons was a result of interactions in virus-infected cells. It is now clear that plasmacytoid dendritic cells can act as specialized cells to produce high levels of these factors both in vivo and in vitro. The cells do not have to be directly infected with the virus to produce the interferons. The results advance the understanding of interactions leading to the induction of innate immune defense mechanisms.

Christine A. Biron, Ph.D.
Esther Elizabeth Brintzenhoff Professor of Medical Sciences
Division of Biology and Medicine
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island, USA

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ESI Special Topics, May 2004
Citing URL: http://www.esi-topics.com/fmf/2004/may04-ChristineABiron.html