The role of cytokine regulation and processing in inflammatory disease

Cytokines are soluble mediators which play crucial roles in modulating the immune response. The complex regulation and interplay between anti and proinflammatory cytokines ensures appropriate and coordinated responses towards pathogens and trauma. Any genetic defect or breakdown in this regulation can result in pathogenic invasion or self inflicted tissue damage. This project will investigate the potential roles of recently discovered IL36 cytokines in inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, arthritis and COPD. Using the latest in molecular and cellular techniques, research will elucidate the processing events that lead to the activation of the IL36 cytokines and the resultant effects on down stream signaling events. Genetic data will also be used to investigate how newly described mutations in the IL36 Receptor Antagonist causes inflammatory disease including pustular psoriasis. This research will provide an excellent grounding in transferable molecular and cellular techniques as well as access to patient material and an in depth knowledge of immunology.
The project will be run jointly by the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Leeds.