Chen Dong Ph.D.

2017 Highly Cited Researcher, Clarivate Analytics
2016 Highly Cited Researcher, Thomson Reuters
2016 Keynote speaker, 2016 Keystone Symposium on T Follicular Helper Cells and Germinal Centers
2015 Highly Cited Researcher, Thomson Reuters
2014 Highly Cited Researcher, Thomson Reuters
2013 Bayer Chair Professor, Tsinghua University
2013 Faculty Achievement Award in Basic Research, MD Anderson Cancer Center
2011 Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
2009 American Association of Immunologists-BD Biosciences Investigator Award
2008-2013 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Scholar Award
2007-2010 American Lung Association Career Investigator Award

Main Research Fields

Immunology and Inflammation

We are interested in studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying immune tolerance and immune responses and hope that our research will lead to new approaches of modulating the immune system in a variety of immune diseases and cancers.

1. T lymphocyte differentiation and function

2. Cytokine function and signaling in inflammation

3. Immune tolerance and tumor immunity.

Selected Publications

1. Liu, X., Chen, X., Zhong, B., Wang, A., Wang, X., Chu, F., Nurieva, R. I., Yan, X., Chen, P., van der Flier, L. G., Nakatsukasa, H., Neelapu, S. S., Chen, W., Clevers, H., Tian, Q., Qi, H., Wei, L. and Dong, C. Transcription factor Achaete-Scute homologue 2 initiates T follicular helper cell development. (2014) Nature. 507: 513–518.

2. Reynolds, J. M., Lee, Y.-H., Shi, Y., Angkasekwinai, P., Nallaparaju, K. C., Flaherty, S., Chang, S. H., Watarai, H. and Dong, C. Interleukin-17B antagonizes interleukin-25-mediated mucosal inflammation. (2015). Immunity. 42:692-703.

3. Ichiyama, K., Chen, T., Wang, X., Yan, X., Kim, B. S., Tanaka, S., Ndiaye-Lobry, D., Deng, Y., Zou, Y., Zheng, P., Tian, Q., Aifantis, I., Wei, L. and Dong, C. The methylcytosine dioxygenase Tet2 promotes DNA demethylation and activation of cytokine gene expression in T cells. (2015) Immunity. 42:613-626.

4. Liu, X., Lu, H., Chen, T., Nallaparaju, K. C., Yan, X., Tanaka, S., Ichiyama, K., Zhang, X., Zhang, L., Wen, X., Tian, Q., Bian, X., Jin, W., Lai, W. and Dong, C. Genome-wide analysis identifies Bcl6-controlled regulatory networks during T follicular helper (Tfh) cell differentiation. (2016) Cell Reports. 14:1735-1747.

5. Ichiyama, K., Gonzalez-Martin, A., Kim, B.-S., Jin, H. Y., Jin, W., Xu, W., Sabouri-Ghomi, M., Xu, S., Zheng, P., Xiao, C. and Dong, C. The microRNA-183-96-182 cluster promotes T helper 17 cell pathogenicity by negatively regulating transcription factor Foxo1 expression. (2016) Immunity. 44: 1284–1298.

6. Ding, X., Wang, A., Ma, X., Demarque, M., Jin, W., Xin, H., Dejean, A. and Dong, C. Protein SUMOylation is required for regulatory T cell expansion and function. (2016) Cell Reports. 16:1055-1066.

7. Xu, T, Stewart, K. M., Wang, X., Liu, K., Xie, M., Kyu Ryu, J., Li, K., Ma, T., Wang, H., Ni, L., Zhu, S., Cao, N., Zhu, D., Zhang, Y., Akassoglou, K., Dong, C.*, Driggers, E. M.*, Ding, S.* Metabolic control of TH17 and induced Treg cell balance by an epigenetic mechanism. (2017) Nature. 548:228-233. (* co-correspondent authors)

8. Li, J., Lee, Y., Li, Y., Jiang, Y., Lu, H., Zang, W., Zhao, X., Liu, L., Chen, Y., Tan, H., Yang, Z., Zhang, M. Q., Mak, T. W., Ni, L. and Dong, C. Co-inhibitory molecule B7 superfamily member 1 expressed by tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells induces dysfunction of anti-tumor CD8+ T cells. (2018) Immunity. 48:773-786

9. Xu, M., Lu, H., Wu, Y., Liu, K., Shi, Y., An, H., Zhang, J., Wang, X., Lai, Y. and Dong, C. An IL-25-mediated autoregulatory circuit in keratinocytes plays a pivotal role in psoriatic skin inflammation. (2018) Immunity. 48:787-798

10. Tanaka K, Martinez GJ, Yan X, Long W, Ichiyama K, Chi X, Kim BS, Reynolds JM, Chung Y, Tanaka S, Liao L, Nakanishi Y, Yoshimura A, Zheng P, Wang X, Tian Q, Xu J, O'Malley BW, Dong C.Regulation of Pathogenic T Helper 17 Cell Differentiation by Steroid Receptor Coactivator-3. (2018) Cell Reports. 23(8):2318-2329.