dr. Jon Huyghe (PhD)

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) plays a central role in orchestrating mammalian inflammatory responses. It promotes inflammation either directly by inducing inflammatory gene expression or indirectly by triggering cell death. TNF-mediated cell death-driven inflammation can be beneficial during infection by providing cell-extrinsic signals that help to mount proper immune responses. Uncontrolled cell death caused by TNF is instead highly detrimental and is believed to cause several human autoimmune diseases. Death is not the default response to TNF sensing. Molecular brakes, or cell death checkpoints, actively repress TNF cytotoxicity to protect the organism from its detrimental consequences. These checkpoints therefore constitute essential safeguards against inflammatory diseases. Inhibition of these checkpoints may however have beneficial outcomes during cancer therapies as it may aid cancer cell killing and help to mount potent anti-tumor immune responses. Recently an unconventional selective macro-autophagy pathway was discovered as an important cell death checkpoint in the TNF pathway. We are currently investigating how inhibiting this selective autophagy pathway may potentiate the induction of cell death in cancer cells.
 

• Lab address: VIB-UGent, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Zwijnaarde (Ghent), Belgium
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• VIB
• Mathieu Bertrand Research Unit
• Jon Huyghe is interested to receive invitations for presentations or talks