Section: Publications

Postdoctoral Position Available

Evelyn Kurt-Jones, Ph.D.

Academic Role: Professor

Faculty Appointment(s) In:
   Medicine

Other Affiliation(s):
   Center for AIDS Research
   Infectious Diseases and Immunology
   Program in Immunology and Virology

Rotation Project Background

Innate immunity and Toll-like receptors. We study the role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the activation of monocyte/macrophage innate immunity and cytokine secretion in response to infection. The innate immune response is triggered when microbial products interact with pattern recognition receptors. Two important members of this receptor group are CD14, the high affinity LPS receptor of monocytes, and the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), an ancient family of pathogen recognition receptors. CD14 and TLRs are receptors for an array of microbial products, including lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria , peptidoglycan from gram-positive bacteria, lipoarabinomannan from mycobacteria and the fusion protein of paramyxoviruses. These receptors are also activated by heat shock proteins and, thus, may play an important role in the recognition of damaged (or infected) tissues.

Representative Publications

Solomon, KR¹, Kurt-Jones, EA¹, Saladino, RA, Stack, AM, Dunn, IF, Ferretti, M, Golenbock, D, Fleisher, GR, Finberg, RW. ¹co-first authors. (1998) Heterotrimeric G Proteins Physically Associated with the Lipopolysaccharide Receptor CD14 Modulate both In Vivo and In Vitro Responses to Lipopolysaccharide. J Clin Invest 102(11): 2019-27.

Kol, A., Lichtman, AH, Finberg, RW, Libby, P, Kurt-Jones, EA. (2000) Cutting Edge: Heat Shock Protein 60 Activates the Innate Immune Response; CD14 is an Essential Receptor for HSP60 Activation of Mononuclear Cells. J Immunol 164:13-17.

Asea, A, MA, Kraeft, SK, Kurt-Jones, EA, Stevenson, Chen, LB, Finberg, RW, Koo, GC, Calderwood, SK. (2000) HSP70 stimulates cytokine production through a CD14-dependant pathway, demonstrating its dual role as a chaperone and cytokine. Nature Medicine 6:435-442

Office: LRB 226
Phone: 508-856-3531
Fax: 508-856-6176
E-mail: Evelyn.Kurt-Jones@umassmed.edu
Keywords: Immunology, Virology, Signal Transduction

More on Evelyn Kurt-Jones' Research Research | Publications | Rotations View All Sections on One Page

Postdoctoral Position Available We are seeking a post-doctoral fellow to study toll/interleukin 1 receptors and their role in inflammatory disease pathogenesis using human cells and mouse models. Candidates should have a Ph.D. or M.D. degree, or have completed degree requirements. Experience in immunology, molecular biology and/or biochemistry and publication of papers in the areas of cytokine biology, receptor biochemistry and/or cell signaling required.