Gender	Female
E-mail	carolina.lopez@mssm.edu
Education and Training	Ph.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Education and Training	Ph.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Research
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Specific Clinical/Research Interest:
Host-pathogen interactions; viral immunology

Summary of Research Studies:

We are interested in studying the events leading to the development of efficient anti-viral immunity. Our projects can be summarized as follows: 1. As maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) is a crucial step in the development of adaptive immunity, one of our goals is to understand the viral and cellular elements involved in the triggering of this process. Currently, we are investigating the viral components that endow some viruses with a strong ability to mature DCs. We have discovered that defective interfering (DI) viral particles greatly enhance the DC maturation ability of Sendai virus through the activation of RIG-I-like intracellular receptors independently of type I IFN feedback and TLR recognition. DI particles, that are generated as "mistakes" during the replication of the standard virus genome, demonstrate a unique ability to quickly and potently activate all transcription factors needed for the induction of the DC maturation transcriptome when compare to related viruses. We are now working in understanding the mechanism by which this potent DC activation is achieved, as well as in evaluating Sendai virus DI ! particles as natural adjuvants for vaccination. 2. Using a mouse model of respiratory viral infection, we are investigating the concerted action of multiple organs in the development lung anti-viral immunity. We are particularly interested in the contribution of the bone marrow to this process as this organ contributes with most of the cells that infiltrate the lung during the inflammatory process.

Escribese MM, Kraus T, Rhee E, Fernandez-Sesma A, Lopez CB, Moran TM. Estrogen Inhibits Dendritic Cell Maturation To dsRNA Viruses. Blood 2008; 112: 475-484.

Yount JS, Gitlin L, Moran TM, Lopez CB. MDA5 Participates in the Detection of Paramyxovirus Infection and is Essential for the Early Activation of DCs in Response to SeV DI Particles. J. Immunol 2008; 180: 4910-1919.

Yount JS, Moran TM, Lopez CB. Cytokine-Independent Upregulation of MDA5 in Viral Infection. J. Virol 2007; 81: 7316-7319.

Yount JS, Kraus TA, Horvath CM, Moran TM, Lopez C. A Novel Role for Defective Interfering Particles in Enhancing Dendritic Cell Maturation. J Immunol 2006 Oct 1; 177(7): 4503-13.

Lopez CB, Yount JS, Hermesh T, Moran TM. Sendai Virus Infection Induces Efficient Adaptive Immunity Independently of Type I IFNs. J Virol 2006 May; 80(9): 4538-45.

Lopez CB, Yount JS, Moran TM. Toll-Like Receptor-Independent Triggering of Dendritic Cell Maturation by Viruses [review]. J Virol 2006 Apr; 80(7): 3128-34.

Trumpfheller C, Finke JS, Lopez CB, Moran TM, Moltedo B, Soares H, Huang Y, Schlesinger SJ, Park CG, Nussenzweig MC, Granelli-Piperno A, Steinman RM. Intensified and Protective CD4+ T Cell Based Immunity at a Mucosal Surface Induced in Mice with Anti-dendritic Cell HIV gag Fusion Antibody Vaccine. J Exp Med 2006 Mar 20; 203(3): 607-17.

Lopez CB, Moltedo B, Alexopoulou L, Bonifaz L, Flavell RA, Moran TM. TLR Independent Induction of Dendritic Cell Maturation and Immunity by Negative Stranded RNA Viruses. J Immunol 2004 Dec; 173(11): 6882-9.

Silva MA, Lopez CB, Riverin F, Oligny L, Menezes J, Seidman EG. Characterization and Distribution of Colonic Dendritic Cells in Paediatric Crohn's Disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2004 Sep; 10(5): 504-12.

Lopez CB, Garcia-Sastre A, Williams BR, Moran TM. The Type I Interferon Pathway, but Not the Secreted Interferon, Participates in the Maturation of Dendritic cells Induced by Negative Stranded RNA Viruses. J Infect Dis 2003 Apr; 187(7): 1126-36.