Research Summary

We study the intercellular communications and cell migration dynamics underlying anti-pathogen and anti-tumor immune responses. We are recognized for defining how lymphoid microenvironments are organized to support adaptive immunity. We played a key role in the discovery of lymphoid tissue chemokines and established the concept that chemokines continuously guide cells to supportive niches. Our group led the way in defining how cells exit from lymphoid organs, a process essential for immune function. We showed the egress-promoting role of sphingosine-1-phosphate and identified the mechanism of action of key egress regulators, including the immunosuppressive molecule FTY720 (Fingolimod). We use immunological, genetic, cell biological, biochemical, and intravital imaging techniques to study these processes. As well as performing mechanistic studies in mouse models, we have translated key findings to humans, such as our identification of a gene pathway that is disrupted in germinal center B cell-type diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Research Funding

  • August 6, 2026 - July 31, 2031 - Immunology Training and Career Development Program , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: T32AI200899
  • April 1, 1999 - July 31, 2029 - Chemokines and Lymphoid Tissue Organization and Function , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R37AI045073
  • April 1, 1997 - March 31, 2027 - B lymphocyte Migration and Homeostasis , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01AI040098
  • April 1, 1999 - August 31, 2024 - Chemokines and Lymphoid Tissue Organization and Function , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01AI045073
  • September 1, 1988 - July 31, 2024 - Molecular and Cellular Immunology , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: T32AI007334
  • June 1, 2021 - May 31, 2023 - GPR35 function in the immune system , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21AI163036
  • July 1, 1995 - August 31, 2020 - Predoctoral Training in Biomedical Sciences , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: T32GM008568
  • June 1, 2007 - May 31, 2018 - Cellular and Genetic Analysis of Lymphocyte Egress , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01AI074847
  • April 1, 1997 - March 31, 2012 - Beta Lymphocyte Migration and Homeostasis , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R37AI040098

Education

University of Western Australia, B.S., 1988, Biochemistry and Microbiology
University of Oxford, England, D.Phil., 1992, Immunology
Stanford Univ. Med Center, Stanford, CA, PD Fellow, 1992-1995, Immunology

Honors & Awards

  • 1984
    The Beazely Award for secondary education in Western Australia
  • 1988
    J.A. Wood Memorial prize from the University of Western Australia
  • 1989-1992
    Commonwealth Overseas Studentship
  • 1992-1995
    Cancer Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • 1996-2000
    Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences
  • 1997
    Cheryl Whitlock Memorial Prize for Postdoctoral Studies
  • 1998-2003
    David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship
  • 2005
    AAI BD Biosciences Investigator Award
  • 2005
    External Speaker, Harvard Medical School Annual Immunology Retreat
  • 2009
    Alexandre Goidl Memorial Lectureship, University of Maryland Baltimore
  • 2009
    Keynote Speaker, Microanatomy of Immune Responses in Health and Disease, Birmingham, UK
  • 2010
    Organizing Committee Member, International Congress of Immunology, Kobe, Japan
  • 2010
    Keynote Presentation, Antibody Biology & Engineering Gordon Research Conference, Ventura, CA
  • 2010
    14th Köhler Lecture in Immunology, University of Freiburg, Germany
  • 2010
    CRI Fredrick W. Alt Award for New Discoveries in Immunology
  • 2011
    Distinguished Lecture, AAI Annual Meeting, San Francisco
  • 2011
    Elected as an AAAS Fellow
  • 2013
    Keynote Speaker, 14th International TNF conference
  • 2013
    Keynote Speaker, FASEB Meeting on Lysophospholipids
  • 2013
    Keynote Speaker, Gordon Conference on Follicular helper T cells.
  • 2018
    Elected, American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Selected Publications

  1. Huang YH, Arana K, Rachimi S, Tam H, Spegarova JS, Engelhardt KR, Griffin H, Mee M, Miano M, Raggi F, Grossi A, Rusmini M, Ceccherini I, Dell'Orso G, Ferro J, Giarratana MC, Pillai V, Banka S, Garcez T, Briggs TA, Mellouli F, von Hardenberg S, Beier R, Auber B, Baumann U, Tawamie H, Behrens E, Oldridge DA, Cabrera EC, Xu Y, Ouyang S, Hambleton S, Romberg N, Cyster JG. Human GPR174 deficiency drives polyclonal lymphoproliferative disease via defects in T cell function. medRxiv. 2026 Jul 17. View on PubMed
  2. Mattiuz R, Boumelha J, Aerakis E, Le Berichel J, Hamon P, Halasz L, Vaidya A, Soong BY, Radkevich E, Kim HM, Park MD, Donne R, Troncoso L, Kaplan RA, Hennequin C, Hernández-Verdin I, López L, Rentzeperis F, D'Souza D, Kaiza ME, MacFawn IP, Belabed M, Mestrallet G, Humblin E, Merand R, Hegde S, Lone JC, Ioannou G, Ozbey S, Figueiredo I, Tepper A, Merarda H, Serhan N, Schaefer MM, An J, Ohara RA, Nemeth E, Goldstein S, Reid AM, Noureddine M, Tabachnikova A, Piperno GM, Tsoumakidou M, Ahmed J, Polydorides AD, Bhardwaj N, Lujambio A, Chen Z, Gonzalez Kozlova E, Kim-Schulze S, Brody JD, Schotsaert M, Moussion C, Gnjatic S, Roudko V, Ginhoux F, Murphy KM, Sautès-Fridman C, Fridman WH, Brown BD, Marron TU, Benvenuti F, Cyster JG, Salmon H, Bruno TC, Joshi NS, Kamphorst AO, Merad M. Dendritic cells control tertiary lymphoid structure development and maintenance in cancer. Science. 2026 Jul 16; 393(6808):eady1678. View on PubMed
  3. Knöpper K, Rao A, An J, Cyster JG. ABCC1 protects skin dendritic cells from FITC-induced toxicity by efflux and extracellular glutathione buffering. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026 Mar 10; 123(10):e2538155123. View on PubMed
  4. Earley ZM, Rao A, Knöpper K, Peng F, Qiu L, Jo N, Lisicka W, Taglinao H, An J, Xu Y, Yang LV, Liu D, Looney MR, Cyster JG. Intestinal intraepithelial lymphocyte migration and tissue homeostasis are dictated by Gα13. bioRxiv. 2026 Mar 05. View on PubMed
  5. Tam H, Shen H, Xu Y, An J, Cyster JG. Splenic cDC1 efferocytosis and cross-presentation to CD8 T cells are promoted by GPR34 and lysophosphatidylserine. J Exp Med. 2026 Jan 05; 223(1). View on PubMed
  6. Li J, Lu E, Yi T, Cyster JG. Author Correction: EBI2 augments Tfh cell fate by promoting interaction with IL-2-quenching dendritic cells. Nature. 2025 Oct; 646(8087):E32. View on PubMed
  7. Liu Q, Chen PA, Urs E, Zhang S, Arce MM, Wang CH, Li Z, Seo J, Kale N, LaFlam TN, Peng F, Shifrut E, Allen GM, Eyquem J, Fuh K, Dodgson SE, Cyster JG, Marson A, Carnevale J. In vivo genome-wide CRISPR screens in human T cells to enhance T cell therapy for solid tumors. bioRxiv. 2025 Sep 24. View on PubMed
  8. Eisenbarth SC, Batista F, Cyster J, Elsner R, Kelsoe G, Lund FE, Pillai S, Sanz I, Shlomchik M, Toellner KM, Vinuesa C, Baumgarth N. A roadmap for defining "extrafollicular" B cell responses. Immunity. 2025 Nov 11; 58(11):2627-2645. View on PubMed
  9. LaFlam TN, Billesbølle CB, Dinh T, Wolfreys FD, Lu E, Matteson T, An J, Xu Y, Singhal A, Brandes N, Ntranos V, Manglik A, Cyster JG, Ye CJ. Phenotypic pleiotropy of missense variants in human B cell confinement receptor P2RY8. Cell Genom. 2025 Nov 12; 5(11):100981. View on PubMed
  10. Merad M, Manz MG, Karsunky H, Wagers A, Peters W, Charo I, Weissman IL, Cyster JG, Engleman EG. Addendum: Langerhans cells renew in the skin throughout life under steady-state conditions. Nat Immunol. 2025 May; 26(5):805. View on PubMed
  11. Lisicka W, Earley ZM, Sifakis JJ, Erickson SA, Mattingly JR, Wu-Woods NJ, Krishnamurthy SR, Belkaid Y, Ismagilov RF, Cyster JG, Riesenfeld SJ, Bendelac A, Jabri B. Immunoglobulin A controls intestinal virus colonization to preserve immune homeostasis. Cell Host Microbe. 2025 Apr 09; 33(4):498-511.e10. View on PubMed
  12. LaFlam TN, Billesbølle CB, Dinh T, Wolfreys FD, Lu E, Matteson T, An J, Xu Y, Singhal A, Brandes N, Ntranos V, Manglik A, Cyster JG, Ye CJ. Phenotypic pleiotropy of missense variants in human B cell-confinement receptor P2RY8. bioRxiv. 2025 Mar 06. View on PubMed
  13. Cleary SJ, Qiu L, Seo Y, Baluk P, Liu D, Serwas NK, Taylor CA, Zhang D, Cyster JG, McDonald DM, Krummel MF, Looney MR. Intravital imaging of pulmonary lymphatics in inflammation and metastatic cancer. J Exp Med. 2025 May 05; 222(5). View on PubMed
  14. Mattiuz R, Boumelha J, Hamon P, Le Berichel J, Vaidya A, Soong BY, Halasz L, Radkevich E, Kim HM, Park MD, Donne R, Troncoso L, D'Souza D, Kaiza ME, MacFawn IP, Belabed M, Mestrallet G, Humblin E, Merand R, Hennequin C, Ioannou G, Ozbey S, Figueiredo I, Hegde S, Tepper A, Merarda H, Nemeth E, Goldstein S, Reid AM, Noureddine M, Tabachnikova A, Ahmed J, Polydorides AD, Bhardwaj N, Lujambio A, Chen Z, Kozlova EG, Kim-Schulze S, Brody JD, Schotsaert M, Moussion C, Gnjatic S, Sautès-Fridman C, Fridman WH, Roudko V, Brown BD, Marron TU, Cyster JG, Salmon H, Bruno TC, Joshi NS, Kamphorst AO, Merad M. Dendritic cells type 1 control the formation, maintenance, and function of tertiary lymphoid structures in cancer. bioRxiv. 2024 Dec 27. View on PubMed
  15. Chen KY, De Giovanni M, Xu Y, An J, Kirthivasan N, Lu E, Jiang K, Brooks S, Ranucci S, Yang J, Kanameishi S, Kabashima K, Brulois K, Bscheider M, Butcher EC, Cyster JG. Inflammation switches the chemoattractant requirements for naive lymphocyte entry into lymph nodes. Cell. 2025 Feb 20; 188(4):1019-1035.e22. View on PubMed
  16. T.L. Ben-Saanan, K. Knöpper, L. Duan, R. Liu, H. Taglinao, Y. Xu, J. An, M.V. Plikus, J.G. Cyster. 485 A hairy story: Pain facilitating dermal TRPV1 innervations engage a macrophage and fibroblast containing pathway to activate hair growth in mice. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2024 Dec 1; 144(12):s312. View on PubMed
  17. Tam H, Xu Y, An J, Schöneberg T, Schulz A, Muppidi JR, Cyster JG. Phosphatidylserine phospholipase A1 enables GPR34-dependent immune cell accumulation in the peritoneal cavity. J Exp Med. 2024 11 04; 221(11). View on PubMed
  18. Cleary SJ, Qiu L, Seo Y, Baluk P, Liu D, Serwas NK, Cyster JG, McDonald DM, Krummel MF, Looney MR. Intravital imaging of pulmonary lymphatics in inflammation and metastatic cancer. bioRxiv. 2024 Sep 17. View on PubMed
  19. M.A. Mintz, M. Kazmi, A. Almonte Loya, E. Flynn, L. Maliskova, W. Eckalbar, A.J. Combes, G.K. Fragiadakis, J.G. Cyster, A. Haemel. LB869 Single-cell RNA-seq analysis of circulating immune cells in dermatomyositis in patients with and without a history of cancer. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2024 Aug 1; 144(8):s151. View on PubMed
  20. Theusch E, Ting FY, Qin Y, Stevens K, Naidoo D, King SM, Yang NV, Orr J, Han BY, Cyster JG, Chen YI, Rotter JI, Krauss RM, Medina MW. Participant-derived cell line transcriptomic analyses and mouse studies reveal a role for ZNF335 in plasma cholesterol statin response. Genome Med. 2024 07 26; 16(1):93. View on PubMed

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