Associate Professor Gabrielle Belz
Details
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Division: Molecular Immunology
Research Overview
Our specific research interests include:
- Deciphering the genetic control of effector and memory T cell differentiation
- Unravelling the transcriptional regulation of dendritic cell development and function
- Determining the control of innate immune cell subsets and their contribution to protective immunity during infection
- Transcriptional and molecular regulation of peripheral lymphocyte differentiation
We are currently studying the following research areas:
- Development and specialization of dendritic cells
- Id and E protein regulation of effector and memory T cell differentiation in infection
- Transcriptional networks controlling T cell differentiation
- Development and function of innate immune cells
Our research is focused on understanding how a subset of white blood cells, called cytotoxic T cells (CTL, or CD8 T cells), recognise and remove virally-infected cells from the body following infection. The aim is to identify specific factors that determine how virus-specific killer T cells develop during an infection and how they impact on the establishment of immune memory after virus infection.
Our laboratory uses a combination of cutting-edge cellular and molecular technologies to dissect and study virus-specific T cell responses to Influenza A and herpes viruses. These include techniques such as flow cytometry, cell sorting, PCR and imaging.
Selected Publications
- Belz GT, Nutt SL. Transcriptional programming of the dendritic cell network. Nat Rev Immunol. 2012 Jan 25;12(2):101-13. doi: 10.1038/nri3149. PMID: 22273772 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Jackson JT, Hu Y, Liu R, Masson F, D'Amico A, Carotta S, Xin A, Camilleri MJ, Mount AM, Kallies A, Wu L, Smyth GK, Nutt SL, Belz GT. Id2 expression delineates differential checkpoints in the genetic program of CD8α+ and CD103+ dendritic cell lineages. EMBO J. 2011 May 17;30(13):2690-704. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2011.163. PMID: 21587207 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Carotta S, Pang SH, Nutt SL, Belz GT. Identification of the earliest NK-cell precursor in the mouse BM. Blood. 2011 May 19;117(20):5449-52. Epub 2011 Mar 21. PMID: 21422472 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Kallies A, Xin A, Belz GT*, Nutt SL*. Blimp-1 transcription factor is required for the differentiation of effector CD8(+) T cells and memory responses. Immunity. 2009 Aug 21;31(2):283-95. PMID: 19664942 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Belz GT, Bedoui S, Kupresanin F, Carbone FR, Heath WR. Minimal activation of memory CD8+ T cell by tissue-derived dendritic cells favors the stimulation of naive CD8+ T cells. Nat Immunol. 2007 Oct;8(10):1060-6. Epub 2007 Sep 2. PMID: 17767161 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Flynn KJ, Belz GT, Altman JD, Ahmed R, Woodland DL, Doherty PC. Virus-specific CD8+ T cells in primary and secondary influenza pneumonia. Immunity. 1998 Jun;8(6):683-91 PMID: 9655482 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Belz GT, Xie W, Altman JD, Doherty PC. A previously unrecognized H-2D(b)-restricted peptide prominent in the primary influenza A virus-specific CD8(+) T-cell response is much less apparent following secondary challenge. J Virol. 2000 Apr;74(8):3486-93 PMID: 10729122 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Belz GT, Behrens GM, Smith CM, Miller JF, Jones C, Lejon K, Fathman CG, Mueller SN, Shortman K, Carbone FR, Heath WR. The CD8alpha(+) dendritic cell is responsible for inducing peripheral self-tolerance to tissue-associated antigens. J Exp Med. 2002 Oct 21;196(8):1099-104 PMID: 12391021 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Allan RS, Smith CM, Belz GT, van Lint AL, Wakim LM, Heath WR, Carbone FR. Epidermal viral immunity induced by CD8alpha+ dendritic cells but not by Langerhans cells. Science. 2003 Sep 26;301(5641):1925-8 PMID: 14512632 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Belz GT, Smith CM, Kleinert L, Reading P, Brooks A, Shortman K, Carbone FR, Heath WR. Distinct migrating and nonmigrating dendritic cell populations are involved in MHC class I-restricted antigen presentation after lung infection with virus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Jun 8;101(23):8670-5 PMID: 15163797 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Smith CM, Wilson NS, Waithman J, Villadangos JA, Carbone FR, Heath WR, Belz GT. Cognate CD4(+) T cell licensing of dendritic cells in CD8(+) T cell immunity. Nat Immunol. 2004 Nov;5(11):1143-8 PMID: 15475958 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
- Kallies A, Hawkins ED, Belz GT, Metcalf D, Hommel M, Corcoran LM, Hodgkin PD, Nutt SL. Transcriptional repressor Blimp-1 is essential for T cell homeostasis and self-tolerance. Nat Immunol. 2006 May;7(5):466-74 PMID: 16565720 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Current Laboratory Members
Faculty Member: Gabrielle Belz, BVBiol BVSc PhD DVSc Qld
Editorial Assistant, ICB: Simone Farrer, BSc(Hons) Monash MSc Melb
Postdoctoral Fellow: Frederic Masson, BSc(Hons) MSc France PhD Geneva
PhD Student: Lucie Rankin, BASc BSc(Hons) Melb
Postdoctoral Fellow: Lisa Mielke, BSc(Hons) Phd Melb
Postdoctoral Fellow: Joanna Groom, BSc Applied Science CSU BSc(Hons) Melb PhD Sydney
Postdoctoral Fellow: Cyril Seillet, BSc MSc PhD Toulouse
Research Assistant: Mary Camilleri, Dip AppSci VUT
Research Assistant: Dane Newman, BEnvSc (Hons) PhD Deakin
