Gender	Male
E-mail	christopher.dascher@mssm.edu
Education and Training	Ph.D., University of Rochester
	M.S., University of Rochester
	B.S., University of Rochester
	B.A., University of Rochester
	Fellowship, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Education and Training	Ph.D., University of Rochester
	M.S., University of Rochester
	B.S., University of Rochester
	B.A., University of Rochester
	Fellowship, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Research

Specific Clinical/Research Interest:
Antigen presentation and infectious diseases
Postdoctoral Fellows: Nary Ly
Summary of Research Studies:

The CD1 genes encode a family of nonpolymorphic cell-surface glycoproteins that are highly conserved in mammalian species. The existence of CD1 molecules has been known for over two decades but it is only during the past decade that an appreciation for the function of CD1 proteins has emerged. Although CD1 proteins are structurally related to the MHC class I gene family, they have significantly diverged from the MHC in the structures of their antigen-binding domains to serve a unique role in antigen presentation. In contrast to MHC class I molecules, which present antigenic peptides for recognition by specific T cells, CD1 has evolved the capacity to present lipids and glycolipids to T cells. In accordance with this capacity, the CD1a, -b and -c proteins are expressed primarily on antigen-presenting cells, including dendritic cells and B cells; CD1d has a broader distribution on lymphoid and myeloid lineage cells. The CD1-restricted T cells are phenotypically diverse and ha! ve been implicated in a wide range of immunological phenomena, including microbial infections, cancer and autoimmune diseases. Therefore, there is a great interest in understanding the functional role of CD1-restricted T cells in vivo and in characterizing the interaction of the CD1-mediated immune responses with other components of the immune system.

Dascher CC, Brenner MB. Evolutionary constraints on CD1 structure: insights from comparative genomic analysis. Trends Immunol 2003 Aug; 24(8): 412-8.

Wang C, Perera TV, Ford HL, Dascher CC. Characterization of a divergent non-classical MHC class I gene in sharks. Immunogenetics 2003 Apr; 55(1): 57-61.

Xiong X, Morita CT, Bukowski JF, Brenner MB, Dascher CC. Identification of guinea pig gammadelta T cells and characterization during pulmonary tuberculosis. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2004 Nov; 102(1-2): 33-44.

Sampson SL, Sambandamurthy VK, Russell RG, Jacobs Jr WR, Bloom BR, Hondalus MK, Dascher CC. Protection elicited by a double leucine and pantothenate auxotroph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in guinea pigs. Infect Immun 2004 May; 72(5): 3031-7.

Van Den Elzen P, Garg S, Leon L, Brigl M, Leadbetter EA, Gumperz JE, Cheng TY, Dascher CC, Sacks FM, Illarionov PA, Besra GS, Kent SC, Moody DB, Brenner MB. Apolipoprotein-mediated pathways of lipid antigen presentation. Nature 2005 Oct 6; 437(7060): 906-10.

Miller MM, Wang C, Parisini E, Coletta RD, Goto RM, Lee SY, Barral DC, Townes M, Roura-Mir C, Ford HL, Brenner MB, Dascher CC. Characterization of two avian MHC-like genes reveals an ancient origin of the CD1 family. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005 Jun 14; 102(24): 8674-9.