Dr. Boyson received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1997. From 1998 to 2003, he conducted his postdoctoral research at Harvard University in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology in the laboratory of Dr. Jack L. Strominger. He was the recipient of a National Research Service Award in 1998. Dr. Boyson joined the CMB program in 2003.

Research Interests

Semi-invariant NKT (iNKT) cells comprise an unusual lymphocyte subset that has been implicated in tolerance induction, tumor immunology, autoimmunity, and infectious disease. Unlike most T cells which recognize peptide bound by class I MHC molecules, iNKT cells bind glycolipids bound by the class I MHC-like molecule CD1d. Upon activation, NKT cells produce both Th1 (e.g., IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha) as well as Th2 (e.g., IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13) cytokines. Accordingly, they have been observed to play roles in both pro-inflammatory as well as tolerogenic immune responses. Rapid production by NKT cells of a wide variety of cytokines elicits the downstream activation of both innate and adaptive immune cell subsets such as NK cells, dendritic cells, and B cells. These characteristics suggest that NKT cells could play a pivotal early role in shaping developing immune responses. Research in the lab focuses on the investigation of the factors that govern iNKT cell activation and function. For example, we have demonstrated strain-dependent susceptibility to NKT-mediated diseases such as asthma and pregnancy loss is significantly correlated with strain-dependent variability in iNKT cell number and function. Therefore, we are using genetic, molecular, and biochemical techniques to identify factors that modulate iNKT cell function in vivo, and to determine how they affect downstream immune responses.

Selected Publications

Olson CM Jr, Bates TC, Izadi H, Radolf JD, Huber SA, Boyson JE, Anguita J. Local production of IFN-gamma by invariant NKT cells modulates acute lyme carditis. J Immunol. 2009 182(6):3728-34

Boyson, JE, I Aktan, D Barkhuff, and A Chant. NKT Cells at the Maternal-Fetal Interface. Immunological Investigations 2008 37:565-582

Exley, M.A., R. Hou, A. Shaulov, E. Tonti, P. Dellabona, G. Casorati, O. Akbari, H.O. Akman, E.A. Greenfield, J.E. Gumperz, J.E. Boyson, S.P. Balk, and S.B. Wilson. Selective activation, expansion, and monitoring of human iNKT cells with a monoclonal antibody specific for the TCR alpha-chain CDR3 loop. European Journal of Immunology 2008 38(6):1756-1766.

Rymarchyk, S.L., Lowenstein, H., Mayette, J., Foster, S.R., Damby, D.E., Howe, I.W., Aktan, I., Meyer, R.E., Poynter, M.E., and J.E. Boyson. Widespread natural variation in murine NKT cell number and function. Immunology 2008 125:331-343

Boyson, JE, Nagarkatti, N, Nizam, L, Exley, MA, and JL Strominger. Gestation-stage dependent mechanisms of invariant natural killer T cell-mediated pregnancy loss. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2006 103(12): 4580-4585

Smiley, ST, Lanthier, PA, Couper, KN, Szaba, FM, Boyson, JE, Chen, W, and LL Johnson. Exacerbated susceptibility to infection-stimulated immunopathology in CD1d-deficient mice. Journal of Immunology 2005 Jun 15; 174(12):7904-7911

Koopman LA, Kopcow HD, Rybalov B, Boyson JE, Orange JS, Schatz F, Masch R, Lockwood CJ, Schachter AD, Park PJ, Strominger JL. Human decidual natural killer cells are a unique NK cell subset with immunomodulatory potential. Journal of Experimental Medicine 2003 Oct 20;198(8):1201-12

Thomas SY, Hou R, Boyson JE, Means TK, Hess C, Olson DP, Strominger JL, Brenner MB, Gumperz JE, Wilson SB, Luster AD. CD1d-restricted NKT cells express a chemokine receptor profile indicative of Th1-type inflammatory homing cells. Journal of Immunology 2003 Sep 1;171(5):2571-80

Boyson JE, Rybalov B, Koopman LA, Exley M, Balk SP, Racke FK, Schatz F, Masch R, Wilson SB, Strominger JL. CD1d and invariant NKT cells at the human maternal-fetal interface. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Oct 15;99(21):13741-6.

Boyson JE, Erskine R, Whitman MC, Chiu M, Lau JM, Koopman LA, Valter MM, Angelisova P, Horejsi V, Strominger JL. Disulfide bond-mediated dimerization of HLA-G on the cell surface. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Dec 10;99(25):16180-5.

Orange JO, Fassett MS, Koopman LA, Boyson JE, Strominger JL. Viral evasion of natural killer cells. Nature Immunology 2002; 3(11): 1006-1012

CMB Lab Members