Jerry Guyden

Jerry Guyden is a molecular immunologist whose research interests center on the function of thymic nurse cells (TNCs) Thymic nurse cells (TNCs) are specialized epithelial components that contain T cells completely enclosed in intra-cytoplasmic vacuoles. Very little information about their function has been reported because of the lack of pure TNC populations in quantities necessary for thorough analyses. However, they are believed to play a role in thymocyte development. Our laboratory has been able to immortalize TNCs. Surprisingly, cells from TNC lines have been shown to internalize thymocytes in in vitro studies. Intact cells can be visualized in cytoplasmic vacuoles. This is the first report of the isolation of TNC lines able to internalization and maintain viable another type of cell in tissue culture. Since that time, we have shown that TNCs exclusively bind and internalize the αβTCR+CD4+CD8+ subset. A subset of the interactive subset dies through the process of apoptosis while the remaining fraction survives and matures to the αβTCRhiCD69hi stage of development. Our lab continues to study the function of TNCs during T cell development.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

• Pezzano, M., Samms, M., and Guyden, J. (2000) TNF and Fas-induced Apoptosis during Negative Selection in Thymic Nurse Cells. Proc. RCMI Symp: Ethnicity and Aging in the 21s Century, 11, 154-157.
• Sang-Kyung Lee, Gary Pestano, Ansuddin S. Hasan, Janice Riley, Mark Pezzano, Kathleen J. Park, Jerry Guyden and William Boto. (2000) Impact of Structural Conformations on Immunogenic Potential of rgp120 from HIV-1 Field Isolates. Arch. Virol., 145, 2087-2103.
• Samms, M., Pezzano, M., and Guyden, J. (2001) Thymic Nurse Cells and the Macrophages Found Within their Cytoplasm Cooperatively Participate in Thymocyte Apoptosis and Clearance, 212, 16-23.
• Guyden and Pezzano(2001) The Questionable Thymic Nurse Cell, Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 65, 390.
• Pezzano and Guyden. (2003) Thymic Nurse Cell Function, International Review of Cytology, 223, 1.
• Webb, O., Benitez, E., Parker, M., Martinez, M., Samms, M., Pezzano, M., and Guyden, J. (2004) Cytoskeletal Protein Function During Thymocyte Internalization Into Thymic Nurse Cells. Cellular Immunology, 228, 119.
• Martinez, M., Samms, M., Hendrix, T., Adeosun, O, and Pezzano, M., Guyden, J., (2007) The Organization of the Thymic Nurse cell Multi-Cellular Complex Within the Thymus of HY Transgenic Mice Demonstrates Their Association with MHC Restriction. Exp. Bio. Med., 232, 780-788. NSF, Experimental Biology and Medicine:
• Eureka Alert, CCNY: City College of NY, Medicine World, Science Daily, Japan Science and Technology
• Hendrix, T., Chilukuri, R., Martinez, M., Olushoga, Z., Blake, A., Moazzam, A., Walker, C., Samms, M., and Guyden, J.C., (2009) Thymic Nurse Cells Exhibit Epthelial Progenitor Phenotype and Create Unique Extra-Cytoplasmic Membrane Space for Thymocyte Selection, Cell. Immunol., 216, 81-92.

Dr. Guyden is the Director of the RCMI (Research Centers in Minority Institutions) at City College and has been pivotal to the development of The Center for the Study of the Cellular and Molecular Basis of Development