Kathleen A. Hoag, Ph.D., CLS(NCA), MT(ASCP)
Associate Professor
Phone: 517-353-3276
Fax: 517-432-2006
E-mail: hoagk@msu.edu

Research interests lie in Immunology and Nutritional Immunology, with special focus on the function of vitamin A in the immune system. Vitamin A deficient individuals and laboratory animals exhibit poor antibody responses to vaccination, and have increased incidence and severity of infectious diseases. The inferior antibody responses have been correlated with decreased B lymphocyte clonal expansion, which in turn has been correlated with decreased T helper 2 (Th2) lymphocyte numbers. Current experiments are aimed at identifying the role of vitamin A in differentiation of naive CD4+ T lymphocytes to the Th2 phenotype. In particular, experiments aimed at discovering the role of vitamin A in dendritic cell development, maturation, and antigen-presenting function for driving Th2 development are currently underway.

Current methodologies being employed:
• in vitro culture of dendritic cells from murine bone marrow stem cells
• flow-cytometric analysis of dendritic cell costimulatory molecule expression
• in vitro and in vivo T helper lymphocyte differentiation
• analysis of cytokine secretion profiles by ELISA
• DNA micro array analysis of dendritic cell maturation +/- vitamin A
• in vivo dendritic cell characterization in vitamin A sufficient and deficient mice

In 2005, Dr. Hoag received the Teacher-Scholar Award.