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Pathology

Houston, Texas

Department of Pathology
Pathology
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Faculty

LuAnn Thompson-Snipes, Ph.D.Assistant Professor

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Education

  • B.S. Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
  • B.A. Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
  • Ph.D. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Training

Post-doctoral Training

  • Post- doctoral fellow Vanderbilt University Department of Medicine, Hematology Research Division, Nashville, TN
  • Post-doctoral fellow DNAX Research Institute of Immunology and Molecular Biology, Palo Alto, CA

Specialty

  • Mucosal Immunology Research

Area of Interest

  • Our lab is examining the role of dendritic cells (DCs) in maintaining homeostasis within the gut mucosal immune system. The uptake of antigens by dendritic cells (DCs) within the gut and the subsequent migration of the antigen loaded dendritic cells to T-cell and B-cell areas, where they present antigen and activate an immune response or elicit tolerance to the antigen, is important for the immune response to both pathogens and enteric gut flora.

    Our current goals are: (i) determine the distribution of DC subsets within the mucosal tissue of the G?i2 -/- mouse suffering from IBD and compare to DC subsets in the wild-type mouse and mice resistant to IBD; (ii) compare the migratory capacity of DC subsets isolated from G?i2 -/- mice with DCs isolated from wild-type mice and determine which chemokine receptors are linked to G?i2 signalling; (iii) determine if antigen transport by DCs at the intestinal mucosa is different in the G?i2 -/- mouse.

Current Position

  • Assistant Professor, PI in the department of Pathology, TCH

Professional Positions Held

  • Assistant Professor, Dept. of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine. Major emphasis on the role of dendritic cells in mucosal immunity, August 2001-present
  • Assistant Professor, Dept. of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal General Hospital Research Institute. Developed a dendritic cell vaccine for RCC using CpG motifs, July 1999-2001
  • Research Associate, Dept. of Surgery/Urology, Montreal General Hospital Research Institute. Collaborator with Drs. S. Tanguay and M. Chevrette to develop a dendritic cell vaccine for renal cell carcinoma, 1998-1999
  • Research Associate, Host Resistant Group, Immunology Department, McGill University and Montreal General Hospital Research Institute. I investigated the role of cytokines in both acquired and innate immunity to Mycobacterium bovis BCG infection, 1995-1998
  • Visiting Scientist, DNAX Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA. I studied the effects of stem cell factor (SCF) on the differentiation of murine mast cells and continued to work with the effects of cytokines on mast cell progenitors including Flt3 ligand, 1994-1995
  • Research Scientist, Cell Biology Research Division at SyStemix Inc., Palo Alto, CA. My main research focused on the identification, purification, and characterization of human hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow, apheresed peripheral blood, and cord blood by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) and in vitro assays, 1991-1994

Other Positions

Honors and Awards

  • Dissertation Research Award, Vanderbilt University, 1985
  • Sigma Xi, Vanderbilt University
  • National Research Service Award/Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1988
  • Fast Foundation Scholarship (Montreal General Hospital Research Institute), 1999-2000
  • Fast Foundation Scholarship (Montreal General Hospital Research Institute), 2000-2001

Membership on professional organizations

  • American Association of Immunologists
  • American Gastroenterological Association
  • International Society of Experimental Hematology
  • Society for Leukocyte Biology
  • Society for Mucosal Immunology
  • New York Academy of Sciences

Representative Publications

  1. Chagnon, F., Tanguay, S., Ozdal, O.L., Guan, M., Ozen, Z.Z., Ripeau, S., Chrevrette, M., Elhilali, M.M., Thompson-Snipes, L., Potentiation of a Dendritic Cell Vaccine for Murine Renal Cell Carcinoma by CpG Oligonucleotide, Clinical Cancer Research, 11:1302-1311, 2005.
  2. Guilbault, C., Stotland, P., Lachance, C., Tam, M., Keller, A., Thompson-Snipes, L.,Cowley, E., Hamilton, H.A., Eidelman, D.H., Stevenson, M.M., Radzioch, D., Influence of gender and Interleukin-10 deficiency on the inflammatory response during lung infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mice. Immunology. 107:297-305, 2002.
  3. *Chagnon, F., *Thompson-Snipes L., Elhilali M., Tanguay, S. Murine Renal Cell Carcinoma: Evaluation of a dendritic cell tumor vaccine. Br. J. Urol. lntl. 88:418-424, 2001.(*contributed equally to this work and manuscript).
  4. Thompson-Snipes, L., E. Skamene, and D. Radzioch. Acquired but not innate resistance to Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guerin is compromised by Interleukin-12 ablation. Infect. and Immun. 66:5268-5274, 1998.
  5. Berg, D.J., Davidson, N., Kuhn, R., Muller, W., Menon, S., Holland, G., Thompson-Snipes, L., Leach, M.W. and Rennick, D. Enterocolitis and colon cancer in IL-10 deficient mice are associated with aberrant cytokine production and CD4(+) Th1-like responses. J. Clin. Invest. 98:1010-1020, 1996.
  6. Davidson, N.J., Leach, M.W., Fort, M.M., Thompson-Snipes, L., Kuhn, R., Muller, W., Berg, D.J. and Rennick, D.M. T-helper cell 1-type CD4+ T-cells, but not B-cells, mediated colitis in IL-10 deficient mice. J. Exp. Med. 184:241-251, 1996.
  7. Hudak, S., Hunte, B., Culpepper, J., Menon, S., Hannum, C., Thompson-Snipes, L. and Rennick, D. FLT3/FLK2 ligand promotes the growth of murine stem cells and the expansion of colony-forming cells and spleen colony-forming units. Blood. 85:2747-2755, 1995.
  8. Rennick, D., Hunte, B., Holland, G. and Thompson-Snipes, L. Co-factors are essential for stem cell factor-dependent growth and maturation of mast cell progenitors: comparative effects of IL-3, IL-4, IL-10 and fibroblasts. Blood. 85:57-65, 1995.
  9. Rennick, D., Hunte, B., Dang, W., Thompson-Snipes, L. and Hudak, S. Interleukin-10 promotes growth of megakaryocyte, mast cell, and multilineage colonies: analysis with committed progenitors and the ThyloSca+ stem cells. Exp. Hematol. 22::136-141, 1994.
  10. Ishida, H., Hastings, R., Thompson-Snipes, L. and Howard, M. Modified immunological status of anti-IL-10 treated mice. Cell. Immunol. 148: 371-384, 1993.
  11. Hudak, S., Thompson-Snipes, L., Rocco, C., Jackson, J., Pearce, M. and Rennick, D. Anti-IL-6 antibodies suppress myeloid cell production and the generation of CFU-c in bone marrow cultures. Exp. Hematol. 20:412-417, 1991.
  12. Rennick, D.M., Moore, J.G. and Thompson-Snipes, L. IL-4 and hemopoiesis. CRC Crit. Rev. 151-168, 1991.
  13. MacNeil, I.A., Suda, T., Moore, K.W., Mosmann, T.R., Howard, M., Thompson-Snipes, L. and Zlotnick, A. Interleukin-10:A novel T cell growth cofactor. In: Cellular and cytokine networks in tissue immunity. (Eds. M. Meitzer and A. Mantovanni) Wiley-Liss Inc. 331-336, 1991.
  14. Thompson-Snipes, L., Dhar, V., Bond, M.W., Mosmann, T.R., Moore K.W. and Rennick, D.M. Interleukin-10:A novel stimulatory factor for mast cells and their progenitors. J. Exp. Med. 173:507-510, 1991.
  15. Rennick, D.M., Thompson-Snipes, L., Coffman, R.L., Seymour, B.W., Jackson, J.D. and Hudak, S. In vivo administration of antibody to IL-5 inhibits increased generation of eosinophils and their progenitors in bone marrow of parasitized mice. Blood. 76:312-316, 1990.