Sarah Warren

Department: Immunology
Year Entered: 2005
Prior Degrees: BS, Iowa State University, 2004

Research Interests:
My project is focused on the early immune response to L. monocytogenes infection in macrophages. When macrophages become infected with virulent Listeria monocytogenes, they activate caspase 1 which induces secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines proIL-1β and proIL-18. These cytokines are part of the innate immune response that initiates clearance of the bacteria and formation of protective immune memory. I am identifying detectors that activate caspase 1 in response to L. monocytogenes. I have identified Ipaf as a detector of bacterial flagellin, Nalp3 as a detector of bacterial escape from the vacuole, and a third detector whose ligand is not known. I am currently investigating the contribution of these receptors to the clearance of L. monocytogenes.

The molecular medicine program has given me the opportunity to consider the human impact of my project. I have enjoyed taking the molecular medicine classes and participating in the lectures and discussions. I look forward to incorporating the concepts of molecular medicine in my future work.

Publications:
Seminario MC, Precht P, Bunnell SC, Warren SE, Morris CM, Taub D, Wange RL. PTEN permits acute increases in D3-phosphoinositide levels following TCR stimulation but inhibits distal signaling events by reducing the basal activity of Akt. Eur J Immunol. 2004 Nov;34(11):3165-75.

Trushin SA, Algeciras-Schimnich A, Vlahakis SR, Bren GD, Warren S, Schnepple DJ, Badley AD. Glycoprotein 120 binding to CXCR4 causes p38-dependent primary T cell death that is facilitated by, but does not require cell-associated CD4. J Immunol. 2007 Apr 15;178(8):4846-53.

Nie Z, Bren GD, Vlahakis SR, Schimnich AA, Brenchley JM, Trushin SA, Warren S, Schnepple DJ, Kovacs CM, Loutfy MR, Douek DC, Badley AD. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease cleaves procaspase 8 in vivo. J Virol. 2007 Jul;81(13):6947-56. Epub 2007 Apr 18.

Miao EA, Andersen-Nissen E, Warren SE, Aderem A. 2007. TLR5 and Ipaf: dual sensors of bacterial flagellin in the innate immune system.Semin Immunopathol. 29(3):275-88.

Warren SE, Mao DP, Rodriguez AE, Miao EA, Aderem A. 2008. Multiple Nod-like receptors activate caspase 1 during Listeria monocytogenes infection. J Immunol. 180(11):7558-64.

Christine S. Vissinga, Tiong C. Yeo, Sarah Warren, James V. Brawley, Jennifer Phillips, Karen Cerosaletti, and Patrick Concannon. Nuclear Export of NBN Is Required for Normal Cellular Responses to Radiation. Molecular and Cellular Biology, Feb. 2009, p. 1000–1006