Elizabeth Field, M.D. (Full Member)
Graduate Program in Immunology, University of Iowa
Deputy Director, Iowa Regional Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory
Professor, Dept. of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa

http://www.int-med.uiowa.edu/Divisions/Rheumatology/Directory/ElizabethField.html

Research Interest    

Dr. Field's research focuses on the molecular and cellular components that are required for immunological tolerance, with a view to aiding in the design of therapeutic interventions that either promote tolerance (useful for allergy autoimmunity, transplantation, and gene therapy), or curtail tolerance (useful for chronic infection). Dr. Field's laboratory has identified the CD4+CD25+ regulatory cell as an important mediator of immune tolerance in a mouse model of transplantation tolerance, and has also generated cloned CD4+CD25+ inhibitory hybridomas (e.g, RD6) from tolerant mice. The group?s studies on the RD6 CD4+CD25+ hybridoma and on the naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ regulatory cell are aimed at modeling both the paracrine delivery of cytokines to the cell and the cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions that are involved. Their approach involves genetic knock-in and knock-out mice, enforced expression of a variety of IL-2 and CD25 fluorescent fusion proteins, and four-dimensional live-cell imaging in vivo. For example, pMiT-CD25AcGFP and adenovirus-based IL-2-DsRed vectors are used to infect CD4+CD25+ cells and dendritic cells to visualize the interactions between IL-2 and CD25 (the IL-2Ralpha chain). Because Dr. Field's research on tolerance is especially relevant to gene therapy and host immunity (to viral vectors and/or neoantigens from the vector system or from the delivered gene), she is classified under the vector immunology category.

Selected Publications:

Lenert, P., Brummel, R., Field, E.H., and Ashman, R.F.: TLR-9 Activation of Marginal Zone B Cells in Lupus Mice Regulates Immunity through Increased IL-10 Production. J. Clinical Immunol., 25(1):29-40. 2005.

Kashiwada, M., Cattoretti, G., McKeag, L., Rouse, T., Showalter, B.M., Al-Alem, U., Niki, M., Pandolfi, P.P., Field, E.H., and Rothman, P.B. Downstream of tyrosine kinases-1 and Src homology 2-containing inositol 5'-phosphatase are required for regulation of CD4+CD25+ T cell development. J Immunol. 176(7):3958-65, 2006.

Field, E.H., Kulhankova, K., Nasr, M.E.: Natural Tregs, CD4+CD25+ inhibitory hybridomas, and their cell contact dependent suppression. Immunol Res. 39(1-3):62-78., 2007.

Publications from Gene Therapy Center

Publications from PubMed