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RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences Laboratory for Innate Immune Systems

Team Leader: Kazuyo Moro (Ph.D.)

Research Summary

Kazuyo  Moro(Ph.D.)

The immune system plays a critical role in the host defense against invading microbes. Immune reactions are also involved in the onset and pathophysiology of many diseases including allergic and autoimmune diseases. We currently focus on an innate lymphocyte population that we identified. We have identified a new lymphoid tissue in mouse and human mesentery and termed this tissue fat-associated lymphoid cluster (FALC). We discovered in the FALC a new innate lymphocyte subset producing of Th2 cytokines and named this new lymphocyte "Natural Helper (NH) Cell". NH cells which are classified to group 2 Innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) support the proliferation of B1 cells in the peritoneal cavity and induce goblet cell hyperplasia during the innate phase of nematode infection. ILC2 also play a role in allergic diseases. We aim to understand the role of ILC2 in our immune system.

Main Research Fields

  • Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy

Related Research Fields

  • Biology

Keywords

  • ILC2
  • Allergy
  • Parasite infection
  • Type 2 immune responses
  • Fat-associated lymphoid cluster

Selected Publications

Papers with an asterisk(*) are based on research conducted outside of RIKEN.

  • 1. Hikichi Y, Motomura Y, Takeuchi O, Moro K.:
    "Posttranscriptional regulation of ILC2 homeostatic function via tristetraprolin."
    J Exp Med. 2021 Dec 6;218(12)
  • 2. Momiuchi Y, Motomura Y, Suga E, Mizuno H, Kikuta J, Morimoto A, Mochizuki M, Otaki N, Ishii M, Moro K.:
    "Group 2 innate lymphoid cells in bone marrow regulate osteoclastogenesis in a reciprocal manner via RANKL, GM-CSF and IL-13."
    Int Immunol. 2021 Oct 29;33(11)
  • 3. Kobayashi T, Motomura Y, Moro K.:
    "The discovery of group 2 innate lymphoid cells has changed the concept of type 2 immune diseases."
    Int Immunol. 2021 Nov 25;33(12)
  • 4. Kiniwa T, Moro K.:
    "Localization and site-specific cell-cell interactions of group 2 innate lymphoid cells."
    Int Immunol. 2021 Apr 22;33(5)
  • 5. Miyajima Y, Ealey KN, Motomura Y, Mochizuki M, Takeno N, Yanagita M, Economides AN, Nakayama M, Koseki H, Moro K.:
    "Effects of BMP7 produced by group 2 innate lymphoid cells on adipogenesis."
    Int Immunol. 2020 May 30;32(6)
  • 6. Wagner M, Ealey KN, Tetsu H, Kiniwa T, Motomura Y, Moro K, Koyasu S.:
    "Tumor-Derived Lactic Acid Contributes to the Paucity of Intratumoral ILC2s."
    Cell Rep. 2020 Feb 25;30(8)
  • 7. Kobayashi T, Ricardo-Gonzalez RR, Moro K.:
    "Skin-Resident Innate Lymphoid Cells - Cutaneous Innate Guardians and Regulators."
    Trends Immunol. 2020 Feb;41(2)
  • 8. Sasaki T, Moro K, Kubota T, Kubota N, Kato T, Ohno H, Nakae S, Saito H, Koyasu S.:
    "Innate Lymphoid Cells in the Induction of Obesity."
    Cell Rep. 2019 Jul 2;28(1)
  • 9. Kobayashi T, Voisin B, Kim DY, Kennedy EA, Jo JH, Shih HY, Truong A, Doebel T, Sakamoto K, Cui CY, Schlessinger D, Moro K, Nakae S, Horiuchi K, Zhu J, Leonard WJ, Kong HH, Nagao K.:
    "Homeostatic Control of Sebaceous Glands by Innate Lymphoid Cells Regulates Commensal Bacteria Equilibrium."
    Cell. 2019 Feb 21;176(5)
  • 10. Koga S, Hozumi K, Hirano KI, Yazawa M, Terooatea T, Minoda A, Nagasawa T, Koyasu S, Moro K.:
    "Peripheral PDGFRα+gp38+ mesenchymal cells support the differentiation of fetal liver-derived ILC2."
    J Exp Med. 2018 Jun 4;215(6)

Recent Research Results

Related Links

Lab Members

Principal investigator

Kazuyo Moro
Team Leader

Core members

Tetsuro Kobayashi
Deputy Team Leader
Natsuki Takeno
Technical Staff I
Miho Mochizuki
Technical Staff I
Kentaro Kubota
Junior Research Associate
Naoto Fujioka
Junior Research Associate
Naho Hagiwara
Research Part-time Worker I
Satsuki Tada
Research Part-time Worker I
Masato Asaoka
Student Trainee
Maki Mizumura
Student Trainee
Ayumi Okuzumi
Student Trainee
Jiali Yan
Student Trainee

Contact Information

609/610 6F North Research Building,
1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku,
Yokohama City, Kanagawa,
230-0045, Japan
Tel: +81-(0)45-503-9275
Fax: +81-(0)45-503-9686
Email: kazuyo.moro [at] riken.jp

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