Joan M. Goverman

Dr. Goverman's research interests lie in the fields of immunological tolerance and autoimmunity. The laboratory focuses on autoimmune disease in the central nervous system, using an animal model for multiple sclerosis called experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). EAE is triggered by generating T cell-mediated immunity to myelin proteins. To study the mechanisms of immune tolerance that normally prevent T cell responses to myelin proteins, and to study the inductive events leading to autoimmune disease, the laboratory has developed several T cell receptor transgenic mouse models specific for different regions of myelin basic protein (MBP), a major protein component of myelin. Dr. Goverman's work has revealed the molecular and cellular basis for why certain regions of MBP induce T cell tolerance, while T cells specific for other regions of MBP escape tolerance and mediate disease. T cell receptor transgenic models have also been established for both CD4+ helper T cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells specific for MBP in order to study the contribution of these different cell types to autoimmunity in the central nervous system. These models have allowed investigation of immune tolerance mechanisms and regulatory T cells that prevent MBP-specific autoimmunity as well as investigation of environmental triggers of spontaneous autoimmune disease that occurs in the transgenic mice. In addition, recent studies focus on autoimmune disease targeting myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, another component of the myelin sheath. These studies have defined mechanisms responsible for determining distribution of lesions with the central nervous system in multiple sclerosis, a critical issue in determining clinical outcome. Current studies in this model focus on the role of different types of effector T cells in mediating autoimmunity.

Additional training at the California Institute of Technology.