Nancy E. Street, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Assistant Professor of Microbiology

Office: 214-648-6708
Fax: 214-648-2102
Email: nancy.street@utsouthwestern.edu

My scientific interests have focused on understanding the regulatory role of T helper (Th) cells and the cytokines that they secrete. Murine CD4+ Th cell clones can be divided into two distinct groups, defined by their patterns of cytokine secretion. In response to stimulation, Th1 clones secrete IL-2, IFN-g and lymphotoxin, whereas Th2 clones secrete IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-13. Cells with these two different cytokine patterns have very different functional capabilities. Th2 cells are most effective at providing B cell help, whereas Th1 cells are able to mediate delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions and activate macrophages. Th1 and Th2 subsets, both in mouse and human, have been implicated in susceptibility and resistance to a wide spectrum of diseases and autoimmune disorders. Recent characterization of CD8+ (Tc1 and Tc2), NK cell (NK1 and NK2) and gamma/delta T cell (Tgamma/delta 1 and T gamma/delta 2) subsets have led to the conclusion that the immune system, in response to any particular antigen, can mount either a Type 1 or a Type 2 immune response. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for this decision have far-reaching implications for immunotherapy.

Selected Publications:

Farrar JD, Katz KH, Windsor J, Thrush G, Scheuermann RH, Uhr JW and Street NE (1999). Cancer Dormancy VII: A regulatory role for CD8+ T cells and IFN-g in establishing and maintaining the tumor-dormant state. J Immunol 162:2842.

Hoag KA, Lipscomb MF, Izzo AA and Street NE (1997). IL-12 and IFN-g are required for initiating the protective Th1 response to pulmonary cryptococcosis in resistant C.B-17 mice. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 17:733.

Uhr JW, Scheuermann RH, Street NE and Vitetta ES (1997) Cancer dormancy: Opportunities for new therapeutic approaches. Nature Medicine 3(5):505.

Street NE, Schumacher JH, Fong TAT, Bass H, Fiorentino DF, Leverah JA and Mosmann TR (1990) Heterogeneity of mouse helper T cells. Evidence from bulk cultures and limiting dilution cloning for precursors of TH1 and TH2 cells. J Immunol 144:1629.