Daniel Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D.

Daniel Kaplan, M.D., Ph.D.

Contact

Campus: The Assembly, 5051 Centre Ave

Office: 4041

Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Ph: 412-648-9471

dankaplan@pitt.edu

Website »

Education

  • M.D./Ph.D., Washington University, St. Louis, MO
  • Residency in Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine
  • Postdoc, Yale University School of Medicine

Academic Affiliation

  • Professor, Department of Dermatology
  • Professor, Department of Immunology

About Research

The skin is a barrier organ that is exposed to a wide variety of potential pathogens including bacteria, fungi and viruses.  Within the skin there are numerous components of both the innate and adaptive immune system.  The research focus of my lab is to understand how these skin resident immune cells (e.g. dendritic cells, T cells) interact with specific pathogens and other non-immune cells in the skin to contribute to the development of both innate and adaptive immune responses that provide host protection.  Specific projects include:

  • Development of innate and adaptive responses to epicutaneous C. albicans infection
  • Relationship of pain sensing neurons in the skin with host defense
  • Ability of keratinocytes to retain dendritic cells and T cells in the epidermis
  • Development of humoral responses to cutaneous pathogens
  • Plasticity of individual skin-resident dendritic cell subsets.
  • Tolerance and suppression of immune responses by Langerhans cells

Selected Publications

Mohammed, J., Beura, L. K., Bobr, A., Astry, B., Chicoine, B., Kashem, S. W., et al. (2016). Stromal cells control the epithelial residence of DCs and memory T cells by regulated activation of TGF-β. Nature Immunology. http://doi.org/10.1038/ni.3396

Bobr, A., Igyarto, B.Z., Haley, K.M., Li, M.O., Flavell, R.A., and Kaplan, D.H. (2012). Autocrine/paracrine TGF-β1 inhibits Langerhans cell migration. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109, 10492–10497.

Igyarto, B.Z., and Kaplan, D.H. (2012). Antigen presentation by Langerhans cells. Curr Opin Immunol.

Igyarto, B.Z., Haley, K., Ortner, D., Bobr, A., Gerami-Nejad, M., Edelson, B.T., Zurawski, S.M., Malissen, B., Zurawski, G., Berman, J., et al. (2011). Skin-resident murine dendritic cell subsets promote distinct and opposing antigen-specific T helper cell responses. Immunity 35, 260–272.

Kaplan, D.H., Igyarto, B.Z., and Gaspari, A.A. (2012). Early immune events in the induction of allergic contact dermatitis. Nat Rev Immunol 12, 114–124.

Kaplan, D.H., Li, M.O., Jenison, M.C., Shlomchik, W.D., Flavell, R.A., and Shlomchik, M.J. (2007). Autocrine/paracrine TGFbeta1 is required for the development of epidermal Langerhans cells. J Exp Med 204, 2545–2552.

Kashem, S.W., Igyarto, B.Z., Gerami-Nejad, M., Kumamoto, Y., Mohammed, J., Jarrett, E., Drummond, R.A., Zurawski, S.M., Zurawski, G., Berman, J., et al. (2015). Candida albicans Morphology and Dendritic Cell Subsets Determine T Helper Cell Differentiation. Immunity 42, 356–366.

Kashem, S.W., Riedl, M.S., Yao, C, Honda, C.N., Vulchanova, L, Kaplan, D.H. (2015). Nociceptive sensory fibers drive Interleukin-23 production from CD301b+ dermal Dendritic Cells and drive protective cutaneous immunity. Immunity, In Press

Scholz, F., Naik, S., Sutterwala, F.S., and Kaplan, D.H. (2015). Langerhans Cells Suppress CD49a+ NK Cell–Mediated Skin Inflammation. J Immunol 1500935.

Welty, N.E., Staley, C., Ghilardi, N., Sadowsky, M.J., Igyarto, B.Z., and Kaplan, D.H. (2013). Intestinal lamina propria dendritic cells maintain T cell homeostasis but do not affect commensalism. Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Yao, C., Zurawski, S.M., Jarrett, E.S., Chicoine, B., Crabtree, J., Peterson, E.J., Zurawski, G., Kaplan, D.H., and Igyarto, B.Z. (2015). Skin dendritic cells induce follicular helper T cells and protective humoral immune responses. J Allergy Clin Immunol.