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Faculty Detail     Name LAURIE E HARRINGTON   Campus Address BBRB 471- Zip 2170 Phone 205-996-9795 E-mail lharring@uab.edu Other websites

Faculty Appointment(s) Appointment Type Department Division Rank Primary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Assistant Professor Center  Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Diseases Center  Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Diseases Center Assistant Professor Center  Center for AIDS Research  Center for AIDS Research Assistant Professor Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center Assistant Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations Cellular and Molecular Biology Program  Immunology  Microbiology  Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine

Biographical Sketch  Laurie E. Harrington received her B.S. degree from the University of Vermont in 1997 and her Ph.D. in Immunology from Emory University in 2001. In late 2001, she began her postdoctoral studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, investigating the heterogeneity of CD4 T cell responses during autoimmune and protective immune responses. Laurie joined the Department of Cell Biology as an Assistant Professor in 2007.

Research/Clinical Interest Title Protective and Pathogenic CD4 T Cell Responses Description In my laboratory the focus will be on two main areas of research: (1) the roles of and lineage relationships between effector CD4 T cell subsets during chronic inflammatory disorders, and (2) the factors critical for the development and maintenance of CD4 T cell memory. (1) CD4 T cells have a vital role in the development of multiple autoimmune chronic inflammatory disorders. It is now appreciated that the onset of some of these chronic inflammatory diseases is associated with the induction of effector CD4 T cells, as well as with the decline in regulatory CD4 T cells. In my laboratory, two different murine disease models, experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE; a model for multiple sclerosis) and colitis, will be utilized to dissect the contributions of distinct subsets of effectors cells during chronic inflammation. The laboratory will employ/develop novel transgenic mice to identify cytokine-producing cells and understand their impact on autoimmunity. In addition to exploring how distinct subsets of effector CD4 T cells contribute to chronic inflammation, my laboratory will examine the role of specific transcription factors, specifically STAT4 and Tbet, in mediating pathogenesis. In the laboratory we will explore the essential roles for these transcription factors during disease pathogenesis by more closely examining the effector T cells as well as globally at gene regulation in the absence of these transcription factors, with the hopes that these studies may provide insights into the requirements, and thus potential targets, for chronic inflammation. (2) Memory T cells provide protection against secondary infections, and therefore it is critical to understand the mechanisms by which these cells differentiate. Data from my postdoctoral studies indicate that following an acute viral infection, effector CD4 T cells are capable of surviving long-term and transitioning into memory cells. In my laboratory, experiments will be performed to examine whether all effector cells can enter into the memory pool and if so, what factors are required not only for physical, but also functional maintenance. Moreover, the laboratory will examine the requirement for specific transcription factors in the development of functional effector and memory cells, as well as the role of these molecules in the functional recall response. These studies will provide information regarding the factors needed to maintain a functional memory compartment which is integral for the rational design of vaccines and therapeutic interventions.

Selected Publications  Publication PUBMEDID Maynard, C.L., Harrington, L.E., Janowski, K.M., Oliver, J.R., Zindl, C.L., Rudensky, A.Y., and Weaver, C.T. Regulatory T cells expressing interleukin-10 develop from Foxp3+ and Foxp3- precursor cells in the absence of interleukin-10. (2007) Nature Immunology 8:931-41.   17694059  Weaver, C.T., Hatton, R.D., Mangan, P.R., and Harrington, L.E. IL-17 family cytokines and the expanding diversity of effector T cell lineages. (2007) Annual Reviews in Immunology 25:821-852.  17201677  Hatton, R.D., Harrington, L.E., Luther, R., Wakefield, T., Murphy, K.M., and Weaver, C.T. A distal conserved sequence element controls Ifng gene expression by T cells and NK cells. (2006) Immunity 25:717-729.  17070076  Mangan, P.R., Harrington, L.E., O’Quinn, D.B., Helms, W.S., Bullard, D.C., Elson, C.O., Hatton, R.D., Wahl, S.M., Schoeb, T.R., and Weaver, C.T. Transforming growth factor-beta induces development of the T(H)17 lineage. (2006) Nature 441:231-234.  16648837  Harrington, L.E., Mangan, P.R., and Weaver, C.T. Expanding the effector CD4 T-cell repertoire: the Th17 lineage. (2006) Current Opinion in Immunology 18:349-356.   16616472  Harrington, L.E., Hatton, R.D., Mangan, P.R., Turner, H., Murphy, T.L., Murphy, K.M., and Weaver, C.T. IL-17-producing CD4 effector T cells develop via a lineage distinct from Th1 and Th2. (2005) Nature Immunology 6:1123-1132.  16200070  Grayson, J.G., Harrington, L.E., Lanier, J.G., and Ahmed, R. Differential sensitivity of naïve and memory CD8+ T cells to apoptosis in vivo. (2002) Journal of Immunology 169:3760-3770.  12244170  Onami, T.M., Harrington, L.E., Williams, M.A., Galvan, M., Larsen, C.P., Pearson, T.C., Manjunath, N., Baum, L.G., Pearce, B.D., and Ahmed, R. Dynamic regulation of T cell immunity by CD43. (2002) Journal of Immunology 168: 6022-6031.  12055210  Harrington, L.E., van der Most, R.G., Whitton, J.L., and Ahmed, R. Recombinant vaccinia virus induced T cell immunity: quantitation of the response to the virus vector and the foreign epitope. (2002) Journal of Virology 76: 3329-3337.   11884558   Suresh, M., Whitmire, J.K., Harrington, L.E., Larsen, C.P., Pearson, T.C., Altman, J.D., and Ahmed, R. Role of CD28-B7 interactions in generation and maintenance of CD8 T cell memory. (2001) Journal of Immunology 167: 5565-5573.  11698427  First Prev   1 2 of  2  Next Last

Keywords CD4 T cells, autoimmunity, immunological memory, cytokines

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