Dr. JULIE P. DEANS

B.Sc. (Aberdeen), M.Sc., (Calgary), Ph.D. (Alberta), Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology.

Affiliations: Member - Immunology Research Group,  Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation

Research Interests:

A successful immune response to many infections requires the production of specific antibodies to identify invading pathogens for eradication by other components of the immune system. Antibody production (humoral immunity) is initiated when the pathogen is first recognized by antigen-specific B cell receptors (BCRs) on the surface of B lymphocytes. Ensuing signal transduction from engaged BCRs, in concert with signals from other cell surface receptors, leads to alterations in gene transcription and a cellular response that can vary from activation to death depending on the developmental stage of the B cell and the precise nature of incoming signals. Deficient or dysregulated BCR signaling can give rise to immune deficiency, autoimmune disease or B lymphomas; full understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of normal B cell activation should eventually lead to new therapeutic strategies for these diseases.

Rapid and/or prolonged increase in cytoplasmic calcium is essential for many of the signaling events that lead to altered cellular responses, yet the regulation of intracellular calcium in B cells is poorly understood. In this laboratory we have established a function for the CD20 membrane protein in calcium influx activated by BCR signaling. Currently, we are working on 1) elucidating the in vivo role of CD20 in humoral immunity, and 2) the expression and function of other members of the MS4A family in normal and leukemic B cells. These studies will contribute to a clearer understanding of B cell regulation and potentially to novel avenues for therapeutic intervention in autoimmune disease and B-cell malignancies.

 

Personnel:

Deyaa Morsy	Graduate Student
Jonathan Zuccolo	Graduate Student
Morgan Khan	Graduate Student
Ratna Sanyal, PhD	Research Associate
Marcy Brett	Administrative Assistant

 

 

 

 

 

View Pub Med for Recent publications & abstracts

Recent Publications:

• 1. Zuccolo, J., Bau, J., Childs, S.J., Goss, G.G., Sensen, C.W. and Deans, J. P. Phylogenetic Analysis of the MS4A and TMEM176 gene families. PLoS One 5: e9369 1-10 (2010)
• Czuczman, M.S., Olejniczak, S., Gowda, A., Kotowski, A., Binder, A., Knight, J., Starostik, P., Deans, J. and Hernandez-Ilizaliturri. Acquirement of rituximab resistance in lymphoma cell lines is associated with both a global Gene and protein down-regulation regulated at the pre- and post-transcriptional level. Clin Cancer Res. 14(5):1561-70 (2008).
• Deans J.P. and Polyak, M.J. FMC7 is an epitope of CD20. Blood Feb 15;111(4):2492 (2008)
• Polyak, M.J., Li, H., Shariat, N. and Deans, J. P. CD20 homo-oligomers physically associate with the B cell antigen receptor; dissociation upon receptor engagement and recruitment of phosphoproteins and calmodulin binding proteins. J. Biol. Chem. 283: 18545-18552 (2008)
• Chandrasekera, P.C., Kargacin, M.E., Deans J.P., and Lytton, J. Determination of apparent calcium affinity for endogenously expressed human sarco/endoplasmic calcium ATPase isoform, SERCA3 P. American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology 296:C1105-C1114 (2009)
• Zuccolo, J., Unruh, T., and Deans J.P. Efficient isolation of highly purified tonsil B lymphocytes using RosetteSep with allogeneic red blood. BMC Immunology 10: 30 (2009)
• Unruh, T.L., Zuccolo, J., Beers, S.A. and and Deans, J. P. Therapeutic (high) doses of rituximab activate calcium mobilization and inhibit B cell growth via an unusual pathway triggered independently of CD20 and Fc gamma receptors. J. Immunotherapy (2009)
• Zuccolo, J., Bau, J., Childs, S.J., Goss, G.G., Sensen, C.W. and Deans, J. P. Phylogenetic Analysis of the MS4A and TMEM176 gene families. PLoS One 5: e9369 1-10 (2010)
• Mutch, C.M., Sanyal, R., Unruh, T.L., Grigoriou, L. and Deans, J. P. Activation-induced endocytosis of the raft-associated transmembrane adaptor protein LAB/NTAL in B lymphocytes; evidence for a role in internalization of the B cell receptor. Int Immunol. 19(1):19-30 (2007)
• Sanyal, R. and Deans J. P. The Transmembrane Adaptor LAB/NTAL/LAT2. In Lymphocyte Activation and Signal Transduction (ed. N. Isakov) Research Signpost (2007) p201-209.

Contact Information:

The University of Calgary,
Room 4A20 Health Research Innovation Centre
3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary,
Alberta Canada T2N 4N1
Phone (403) 220-4566
Fax: (403) 283-1267,
E-mail: jdeans [at] ucalgary [dot] ca.