Catharine (Katy) Bosio, Ph.D.

Chief, Immunity to Pulmonary Pathogens Section

Description of Research Program

The focus of our research is to gain a better understanding of how aerosolized pathogens successfully infect and modulate the pulmonary environment to cause overt disease and death. Currently, our principal interest is the pathogenesis of aerosolized Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of pneumonic tularemia.

There are three primary areas of research ongoing in our laboratory: innate immunity to F. tularensis, vaccine development for pneumonic tularemia, and modulation of human cells by F. tularensis. We are particularly interested in modulation of primary antigen presenting cells (dendritic cells and macrophages) by F. tularensis and how this modulation allows the bacterium to initially evade host immune responses immediately following infection. We utilize both in vivo and in vitro models of disease to reveal specific mechanisms at play in both host and pathogen to gain a better understanding of the dynamic nature of this disease.

Research Group Members Left to right: Katy Bosio, Debbie Crane, Norma Olivares Zavaleta, Jennifer Chase

Selected Recent Publications

(View list in PubMed.)

K.L. Elkins, S. C Cowley and C. M. Bosio. Innate and adaptive immunity to Francisella. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2007 Jun. 1105: 284-324.

C. M. Bosio, H. Bielfeldt-Ohmann and J.T. Belisle. Active suppresion of the pulmonary immune response by Francisella tularensis Schu4. J. Immunol. 2007 Apr 1; 178 (7): 4538-47.

X. Yang, B.J. Hinnebusch, T. Trunkle, C.M. Bosio, Z. Suo, M. Tighe, A. Harmsen, T. Becker, K. Crist, N. Walters, R. Avci and D. Pascual. Oral vaccination with salmonella simultaneously expressing Yersinia pestis F1 and V antigens protects against bubonic and pneumonic plague. J Immunol. 2007 Jan 15;178(2):1059-67.

K. Zaks, M. Jordon, A. Guth, K. Sellins, R. Kedl, A. Izzo, C. Bosio and S. Dow. Efficient immunization and cross-priming by vaccine adjuvants containing TLR3 or TLR9 agonists complexed to cationic liposomes. J Immunol. 2006 Jun 15;176(12):7335-45.

C.M. Bosio, A.Goodyear, and S. Dow. Early interaction of Yersinia pestis with APCs in the lung. J. Immunol. 2006. 175(10): 6750-6.

C.M. Bosio and Dow S. Francisella tularensis induces aberrant activation of pulmonary dendritic cells. J. Immunol. 2006. 175(10): 6792-801.

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