Brian Cherrington
University of Wyoming, WY·Microbiology & Immunology
Women develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease that attacks the joints, about three times more often than men. They are also diagnosed later and fare worse.
- Fields
Microbiology & Immunology
Physiology
Medicine & Clinical Research
- Topics
rheumatoid arthritis
autoimmunity
anti-citrullinated protein antibodies
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jul 2028
What they work on
- Identify the citrullinome, the full set of citrullinated proteins, in mouse female reproductive tract fluid across the estrous cycle, pregnancy and postpartum.
- Test in mice whether protein citrullination by PAD enzymes is required for production of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) in the reproductive tract.
- Determine whether ACPA in reproductive tract fluid from healthy women and women with rheumatoid arthritis rise during pregnancy and postpartum, and identify changes in the fluid citrullinome.
- Test the model that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) release citrullinated proteins that trigger ACPA production during tissue disruption and inflammation in the reproductive tract.
More about the research
A hallmark of RA is the production of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), antibodies that target proteins chemically altered by enzymes called peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs). Where in the body this immune attack first begins is unknown. This project asks whether it may start in the female reproductive tract (FRT), which could help explain why RA is more common in women.
Why it matters
Rheumatoid arthritis disproportionately affects women, who often face delayed diagnosis and worse outcomes. Showing that RA-related autoimmunity begins in the female reproductive tract could explain this sex difference. It could also support clinical studies that target the reproductive tract for diagnosing, treating or preventing RA.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Jill Norris
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus, CO·Public Health & Epidemiology
Survey existing cohorts, registries, exposure data, exposome laboratories and analytic methods to assess what is needed to measure environmental exposures before rheumatoid arthritis and lupus begin.
Zuoshang Xu
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, MA·Neuroscience
Map which spinal cord proteins are citrullinated and how this changes across disease stages, using proteomics in SOD1 G93A and PFN1 C71G ALS mouse models.
Xiaoqin Wu
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX·Microbiology & Immunology·Early-career
Characterize liver immune cell populations and cell death after Gao-binge alcohol feeding in Mlkl bone-marrow chimeric mice, using flow cytometry of isolated non-parenchymal liver cells.
The school
University of Wyoming: 8 labs on PI Pages, $167M a year on research, 108 research doctorates a year.
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