Gender	Female
E-mail	cecilia.berin@mssm.edu
Education and Training	PhD, McMaster University
	MSc, Queen's University
	BSc(Hons), Queen's University
	Fellowship, University of California

Education and Training	PhD, McMaster University
	MSc, Queen's University
	BSc(Hons), Queen's University
	Fellowship, University of California

Specific Clinical/Research Interest: Mucosal Immunology of Food Allergic Disorders
Current Students: Hannah Fong
Postdoctoral Fellows: Ana Belen Blazquez
Research Personnel: Wei Wang

Summary of Research Studies:
The laboratory has 3 major research themes within the field of mucosal immunology of food allergy:

1. Role of gastrointestinal dendritic cells in the development of allergic sensitization. We are using a mouse model of allergic sensitization to food allergens to examine the mechanisms by which gastrointestinal dendritic cells can contribute to the development of allergic sensitization versus tolerance to food proteins. The mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin induces allergic sensitization to co-administered proteins in allergy-susceptible mice, while feeding the protein alone induces an active state of immunologic non-responsiveness termed oral tolerance. Therefore we use cholera toxin as a tool to model a "pro-allergenic" stimulus and follow the response of gastrointestinal dendritic cells in mice.

2. Orchestration of allergic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract by chemokines. Food allergy is associated with a Th2-skewed cytokine expression in the gastrointestinal tract that is believed to be critical to the development of food allergic symptoms. We use a mouse model of gastrointestinal allergy to determine the role of chemokines in the recruitment of allergen-specific T cells to the gastrointestinal mucosa. We are working with a number of chemokine receptor knockout mice to define the pathways leading to allergic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Our aim is to define chemokine pathways that might be of therapeutic potential in the treatment of food allergic disorders.

3. Function of CD23 expression on intestinal epithelial cells in food allergy. In order for food allergens to trigger allergic responses in the gut (or systemic anaphylaxis), they have to travel across the epithelial barrier that lines the gastrointestinal tract. Early studies showed that allergens were preferentially transported across the epithelium of rodents sensitized to those allergens. This selective allergen uptake was mediated by IgE and the low-affinity IgE receptor (CD23). We have recently shown in a human system that CD23 can transport both IgE and IgE-allergen complexes across the epithelium. In addition, CD23 and allergen-specific IgE can be detected in the stool of patients with food allergies, but not non-allergic controls, indicating that CD23 may play an important role in the gastrointestinal response to food allergens. Our current studies are focused on the role of IgE and CD23 not only in allergen transport, but in the generation of allergic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.

Berin MC, Mayer L. Immunophysiology of experimental food allergy. Mucosal Immunol 2009 Jan; 2(1): 24-32.

Roth-Walter F, Berin MC, Arnaboldi P, Escalante CR, Dahan S, Rauch J, Jensen-Jarolim E, Mayer L. Pasteurization of milk proteins promotes allergic sensitization by enhancing uptake through Peyer's patches . Allergy 2008 Jul; 63(7): 882-890.

Berin MC, Shreffler WG. T(H)2 adjuvants: implications for food allergy [review]. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2008 Jun; 121(6): 1311-1320.

Blazquez AB, Berin MC. Gastrointestinal dendritic cells promote Th2 skewing via OX40L. J Immunol 2008 Apr 1; 180(7): 4441-4450.

Li H, Chehade M, Liu W, Xiong H, Mayer L, Berin MC. Allergen-IgE complexes trigger CD23-dependent CCL20 release from human intestinal epithelial cells . Gastroenterology 2007 Dec; 133(6): 1905-1915.

Knight AK, Blazquez AB, Zhang S, Mayer L, Sampson HA, Berin MC. CD4 T cells activated in the mesenteric lymph node mediate gastrointestinal food allergy in mice . Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2007 Dec; 293(6): G1234-G1243.

Berin MC, Li H, Sperber K. Antibody-mediated antigen sampling across intestinal epithelial barriers [review]. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2006 Aug; 1072: 253-261.

Li H, Nowak-Wegrzyn A, Charlop-Powers Z, Shreffler W, Chehade M, Thomas S, Roda G, Dahan S, Sperber K, Berin MC. Transcytosis of IgE-antigen complexes by CD23a in human intestinal epithelial cells and its role in food allergy . Gastroenterology 2006 Jul; 131(1): 47-58.

Berin MC, Zheng Y, Domaradzki M, Li XM, Sampson HA. Role of TLR4 in allergic sensitization to food proteins in mice. Allergy 2006 Jan; 61(1): 64-71.