RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences Laboratory for Mucosal Immunity
Team Leader: Sidonia Fagarasan (M.D., Ph.D)
Research Summary

The main function of the immune system is to protect the host against pathogens, such as bacteria or viruses. However, unlike the systemic immune system, the gut immune system does not eliminate microorganisms but instead nourishes rich bacterial communities and establishes advanced symbiotic relationships. We aim to understand the feed-forward and feedback mechanisms between microbiota and the immune system at the mucosal barrier. We intend to elucidate the contribution of each component of the immune system to the trademark characteristics of microbiota namely diversity, balance and metabolic functions. This knowledge seems particularly important for translational medicine, especially when considering strategies to correct the defects and to reestablish symbiosis in intestinal pathologies like infections, inflammatory diseases and malabsorbtion associated with various immuno-deficiencies -primary or secondary, single or combined.
Main Research Fields
- Biology
Related Research Fields
- Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy
Keywords
- immunoglobulin A
- gut microbiota
- symbiosis
- body homeostasis
Selected Publications
- 1.Chamoto K, Chowdhury PS, Kumar A, Sonomura K, Matsuda F, Fagarasan S, Honjo T.
"Mitochondrial activation chemicals synergize with surface receptor PD-1 blockade for T cell-dependent antitumor activity."
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 114(5):E761-E770 (2017) - 2.Zhang B, Chikuma S, Hori S, Fagarasan S, Honjo T.
"Nonoverlapping roles of PD-1 and FoxP3 in maintaining immune tolerance in a novel autoimmune pancreatitis mouse model."
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 113(30):8490-5 (2016) - 3.Sutherland DB, Suzuki K, Fagarasan S.
"Fostering of advanced mutualism with gut microbiota by Immunoglobulin A."
Immunol Rev., 270(1), 20-31 (2016) - 4.Kawamoto S, Maruya M, Kato LM, Suda W, Atarashi K, Doi Y, Tsutsui Y, Qin H, Honda K, Okada T, Hattori M, Fagarasan S.:
"Foxp3(+) T cells regulate immunoglobulin a selection and facilitate diversification of bacterial species responsible for immune homeostasis."
Immunity, 41(1), 152-65 (2014) - 5.Kawamoto S, Tran TH, Maruya M, Suzuki K, Doi Y, Tsutsui Y, Kato LM, Fagarasan S.:
"The inhibitory receptor PD-1 regulates IgA selection and bacterial composition in the gut."
Science, 336(6080), 485-9 (2012). - 6.Suzuki K, Maruya M, Kawamoto S, Sitnik K, Kitamura H, Agace WW, Fagarasan S.:
"The sensing of environmental stimuli by follicular dendritic cells promotes immunoglobulin A generation in the gut."
Immunity, 33:71-83 (2010) - 7.Fagarasan S, Kawamoto S, Kanagawa O, Suzuki K.:
"Adaptive immune regulation in the gut: T cell-dependent and T cell-independent IgA synthesis."
Annu. Rev. Immunol. 28:243-273. (2010) - 8.Tsuji M, Komatsu N, Kawamoto S, Suzuki K, Kanagawa O, Honjo T, Hori S, Fagarasan S.
"Preferential generation of follicular B helper T (TFH) cells from Foxp3+ T cells in gut Peyer's patches."
Science, 323:1488-1492 (2009). - 9.Suzuki, K., Meek, B., Doi, Y., Muramatsu, M., Chiba, T., Honjo, T., and Fagarasan, S.:
"Aberrant expansion of segmented filamentous bacteria in IgA-deficient gut"
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 101, 1981-1986 (2004) - 10.Fagarasan, S., Muramatsu, M., Suzuki, K., Nagaoka, H., Hiai, H., and Honjo, T.:
"Critical roles of activation-induced cytidine deaminase in the homeostasis of gut flora"
Science, Nov 15, 298 (5597), 1424-7 (2002).
Recent Research Results
Mar. 30, 2018
Anxiety is infectiousOct. 24, 2017
Activation of immune T cells leads to behavioral changesAug. 22, 2014
A gut feeling on bacterial diversityJul. 11, 2014
In the gut, immunity is a two-way street
Events
Related Links
Further Information
Lab Members
Principal investigator
- Sidonia Fagarasan
- Team Leader
Core members
- Michio Miyajima
- Senior Research Scientist
- Seiko Narushima
- Senior Research Scientist
- Satomi Ito
- Research Scientist
- Mikako Maruya
- Technical Scientist
- Baihao Zhang
- Special Postdoctoral Researcher
- Edgar Rodrigo Guzman Bautista
- Postdoctoral Researcher
- Alexis Vogelzang
- Research Consultant
- Yumi Tsutsui
- Technical Staff I
- Wakana Kobayashi
- Technical Staff II
- Sachiko Yamamoto
- Technical Staff II
- Keiichiro Suzuki
- Visiting Scientist
Contact Information
1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku,
Yokohama City, Kanagawa,
230-0045, Japan
Tel: +81-(0)45-503-7029
Fax: +81-(0)45-503-7068
Email: sidonia.fagarasan [at] riken.jp