Murugaiyan Gopal, Ph.D.

Instructor in Neurology

Center for Neurologic Diseases
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
77 Avenue Louis Pasteur,
Harvard Institutes of Medicine
Boston, MA 02115

T: 617-525-5324

Email: mgopal@rics.bwh.harvard.edu

Research

I obtained my Ph.D. in 2006 from the National Centre for Cell Science at Pune University under the supervision of Dr. Bhaskar Saha. During my doctoral period I have studied the role of dendritic cell (DC) expressed co-stimulatory molecule CD40 in the regulation of immune response to tumors. At the end of 2006, I joined the lab of Dr. Howard Weiner to pursue postdoctoral training. My current research is focused on understanding the role of DCs and microRNAs in the regulation of inflammatory and regulatory T cells in patients with multiple sclerosis and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).

Selected Publications

Murugaiyan G, Agrawal R, Mishra GC, Mitra D, Saha B. Functional dichotomy in CD40 reciprocally regulates effector T cell functions. J. Immunol. 2006; 177: 6642-9.

Murugaiyan G, Agrawal R, Mishra GC, Mitra D, Saha B. Differential CD40/CD40L expression results in counteracting antitumor immune responses. J. Immunol. 2007; 178: 2047-55.

Murugaiyan G, Martin S, Saha B. CD40- induced countercurrent conduits for tumor escape or elimination. Trends Immunol. 2007; 28:  467-73.

Murugaiyan G, Mittal A, Weiner HL. Increased osteopontin expression in dendritic cells amplifies IL-17 production by CD4⁺ T cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and in multiple sclerosis. J. Immunol. 2008. 181; 7480-8.

Murugaiyan G, Mittal A, Lopez-Diego R, Anderson DE, Weiner HL. IL-27 is a key regulator of IL-10 and IL-17 production from human CD4⁺ T cells. J Immunol. 2009.  183; 2435-2443.

Murugaiyan G and Saha B. Pro-tumor vs anti-tumor functions of IL-17. J. Immunol. 2009. 183; 4169-4175.

Murugaiyan G, Mittal A, Weiner HL. Identification of an IL-27/osteopontin axis in dendritic cells and its modulation by IFN-g limits IL-17 mediated autoimmune inflammation. PNAS. 2010. 107: 11495-500.

Murugaiyan G, Beynon V, Mittal A, Joller N and Weiner HL. Silencing microRNA-155 ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J. Immunol. 2011. 187: 2213-21.

Murugaiyan G, Beynon V, Joller N and Weiner HL. IFN-g limits Th9 mediated autoimmune inflammation through dendritic cell modulation of IL-27. J. Immunol. 2012. 189: 5277-83.

Murugaiyan G and Saha B. IL-27 in tumor immunity and immunotherapy. Trends Mol Med. In press.