Research in the Yap laboratory is centered on elucidating fundamental mechanisms of host resistance and disease tolerance required for survival during infection. The laboratory primarily uses mouse models of Toxoplasma infection. We are also interested in the roles of parasitic factors that interact with host tolerance pathways and have proposed the concept of parasite avirulence. We recently found that engagement of CD36 is essential for disease tolerance and survivability of the host-pathogen relationship and are currently exploring the mechanisms induced by CD36 to promote restoration of homeostasis following acute infection. A current focus of our research is on a pair of stress-associated cytokines, GDF-15 and FGF-21 that control anorexia and hypermetabolism respectively during infection. We also aim to discover the identity of avirulence factors expressed by Toxoplasma and study how virulence factors expressed by the parasite dampen their expression. We continue to study how cytokines regulate immune resistance pathways.
- Title
- Professor
- Area of Study/Expertise
- Cellular microbiology; Immunology; Infectious disease; Signal transduction
- yapgs@njms.rutgers.edu