Current Research Interests/Projects:
Research in the Neuroimmunology laboratory focuses on studying the mechanisms that regulate the immunological responses of T cells and on strategies to manipulate these responses in clinically relevant areas such as autoimmunity, with specific emphasis on multiple sclerosis and autism. One area of research focuses on studying the cytokines secreted by autoreactive T cells and factors involved in the differentiation of cytokine phenotypes. T cells specific for the autoantigen, myelin basic protein (MBP) are characterized with respect to the cytokines they produce by using competitive chain reaction techniques and by ELISA assays. The interactions between the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-12, IL-18, IL-23 and IFN-? are being investigated both at a cellular and molecular level as well as with respect to signal transduction mechanisms. The cytokine secretion profile of lymphocytes from autistic children is also being investigated. Another project focuses on studying gender related differences in the immune response to an autoantigen with respect to cytokines production. A third research project centers on searching for antibodies to paramyxoviruses as well as herpesviruses in multiple sclerosis patients using serological and molecular methodologies. These studies may provide insights into the immunoregulatory cells and mechanisms involved in this disease as well as provide novel therapeutic tools.

Representative Publications:

Rohowsky-Kochan, C., P.C. Dowling and S.D. Cook. Canine distemper virus-specific antibodies in multiple sclerosis. Neurology 45:1554-1560, 1995.

Rohowsky-Kochan, C., D. Molinaro, C. Devereux, et al. The effect of total lymphoid irradiation and low dose steroids on lymphocyte populations in multiple sclerosis: Correlation with clinical and MRI status. J. of Neurological Sciences.152:182-192,1997.

Bansil, S., C. R. Holtz, S. D. Cook and C. Rohowsky-Kochan. Serum sAPO-1/Fas levels in multiple sclerosis. Acta Neurol Scand. 95: 208-210, 1997.

Mena, E. and C. Rohowsky-Kochan. Expression of costimulatory molecules on leukocytes in multiple sclerosis. Acta Neurol Scand. 100:92-96, 1999.

Rohowsky-Kochan, C., D. Molinaro, A. Choudhry and S. D. Cook. Impaired interleukin-12 production in multiple sclerosis patients. Multiple Sclerosis 5: 327-334, 1999.

Rohowsky-Kochan, C., D. Molinaro and S. D. Cook. Cytokine secretion profile of myelin basic protein-specific T cells in multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis 6: 69-77, 2000.

Vitale, E., S. Cook, R. Sun, C. Speechia, K. Subramanian, M. Rocchi, D. Nathanson, M. Schwalb, M. Devoto and C. Rohowsky-Kochan. Two-locus model of inheritance of multiple sclerosis in a large North American pedigree involving the HLA-DR15 haplotype and a novel locus on chromosome 12p12. In press. Human Molecular Genetics 11: 295-300, 2002.

Tang, Q. and C. Rohowsky-Kochan. Expression of IL-18 mRNA and protein by human autoantigen-specific T cells. Submitted for publication.