Research Groups

Cellular Immunology

Group Leader

Research Interests and Description
Group Members

Federica Benvenuti

International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Padriciano 99
34149 Trieste, Italy

E-mail: benvenuti@icgeb.org
Lab tel: +39-040-3757389
Office fax: +39-040-226555

Education

University of Trieste, Degree in Molecular Biology, 1995
International School for Advanced Studies, ICGEB, PhD in Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, 2000

Career History

Since January 2010, Group Leader, Cellular Immunology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy.
2005-2009, Postdoc, ICGEB Trieste, Italy
2001-2004, Postdoc, Institut Curie, Paris, France
1996-2000, PhD student, ICGEB Trieste, italy

Scientific Activity

Main interest is to investigate the mechanisms that control the dynamic flux of information between antigen presenting cells and T cells during initiation of immune responses. The adaptive immune response depends on the ability of professional antigen presenting cells, like dendritic cells, to transmit information about invading pathogens to effector T cells. The physical platform for informational transfer is the contact site between antigen-presenting cells and T lymphocytes referred to as the immunological synapse. We focus on the mechanism used by dendritic cells to form and maintain immune synapses and to organize signals in a spatially regulated fashion at the DC-T interaction site.

Selected Publications

Pulecio, J., Tagliani, E., Scholer, A., Fetler, L., Burrone, O., Benvenuti, F. 2008. Expression of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein in dendritic cells regulates synapse formation and activation of naïve T cells. J Immunol. 181, 1135-1142

Tagliani, E., Guermonprez, P., Sepulveda, J., Lopez-Bravo, M., Ardavin, C., Amigorena, S., Benvenuti, F., Burrone, O.R. 2008. Selection of an Antibody Library Identifies a Pathway to Induce Immunity by Targeting CD36 on Steady-State CD8a Dendritic Cells. J. Immunol. 180, 3201-3209

Benvenuti, F., Hugues, S., Walmslay, M., Ruf , S., Fetler, L., Popoff, M., Tybulewicz, V.,  Amigorena, S. 2004. Induction of T cell priming requires Rac1 and Rac2 expression in mature dendritic cells. Science 20, 1150-1153

Benvenuti, F., Lagoudriere, C., Grandjean, I., Lantz, O., Amigorena, S. 2004. Dendritic Cell Maturation controls Adhesion, Synapse Formation, and the Duration of the Interactions with naive T Lymphocytes. J Immunol. 172, 292-301

Benvenuti, F., Cesco Gaspere, M., Burrone, O. 2002. Anti-idiotypic DNA vaccines for B-cell immunotherapy. Frontiers in Bioscience 7, d228-23

Benvenuti, F., Burrone, O. 2001. Anti-idiotypic antibodies induced by genetic immunisation are directed exclusively against combined VL/VH determinants. Gene Therapy 8, 1555-1561

Benvenuti, F., Burrone, O., Efremov, D. 2000. Anti-idiotypic DNA vaccines for lymphoma immunotherapy require the presence of both variable region genes for tumor protection. Gene Therapy 7, 605-611