Iannis Aifantis, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pathology
Member, NYU Cancer Institute
Experimental Pathology, Immunology / Hematopoietic stem cell differentiation, leukemia, Ubiquitin ligases
aifani01@nyumc.org, (212) 263 5365
Fax: (212) 263 8211
550 First Avenue, MSB 538, New York, NY 10016
Research and Clinical Interests
Our laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms controlling hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal, differentiation and transformation. More specifically we focus on the regulation of HSC cell cycle entry and on the effects of Notch signaling in stem cell differentiation. Finally, we study the role of the Notch pathway as an oncogenic trigger in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Our goal is to design novel therapies that will target and suppress Notch transforming activity in vivo.
Selected Publications
Thompson BJ, Jankovic V, Gao J, Buonamici S, Vest A, Lee JM, Zavadil J, Nimer SD, Aifantis, I. Control of hematopoietic stem cell quiescence by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Fbw7. J Exp Med. 2008 May;Epub 2008 May 12. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 18474632.
Buonamici S, Raetz E, Aifantis I. Molecular pathogenesis of T-cell leukaemia and lymphoma. Nat Rev Immunol. 2008 Apr;Epub 2008 Apr 18. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 18421304.
Johnson K, Hashimshony T, Sawai CM, Pongubala JM, Skok JA, Aifantis I, Singh H. Regulation of Immunoglobulin Light-Chain Recombination by the Transcription Factor IRF-4 and the Attenuation of Interleukin-7 Signaling. Immunity. 2008 Mar;28(3):335-45. Epub 2008 Feb 14. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 18280186.
Thompson B, Buonamici S, Sulis M-L, Palomero T, Vilimas T, Basso G, Ferrando A, Aifantis I. The SCFFBW7 ubiquitin ligase complex as a tumor suppressor in T cell leukemia. The Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2007 Aug 6;204(8):1825-35. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17646408.
Vilimas T, Mascarenhas J, Palomero T, Mandal M, Buonamici S, Ferrando A, Miele L, Aifantis I. Targeting the NF-kB signaling pathway in Notch1-induced T cell leukemia. Nature Medicine. 2007 Jan;13(1):70-77. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 17173050.
Cooper A, Sawai K, Powers S, Sicinska E, Sicinski P, Clark M, Aifantis I. Regulation of pre-B cell proliferation by Cyclin D3. Nature Immunology. 2006; 7:489-497. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 16582912.
El Andaloussi A, Graves S, Meng F, Mashayekhi M, Aifantis I. The Hedgehog signaling network controls lymphoid progenitor differentiation in the thymus. Nature Immunology. 2006;7(4):418-426. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 16518394.
Aifantis I, Bassing C, Garbe A, Sawai K, Alt F, von Boehmer H. The Eδ enhancer controls the generation of DN αβ-TCR expressing T cells that can give rise to different lineages of αβ T cells. The Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2006;203(6):1543-50. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 16754716.
Mandal M, Borowski C, Palomero T, Ferrando AA, Oberdoerffer P, Meng F, Ruiz-Vela A, Ciofani M, Zuniga-Pflucker JC, Screpanti I, Look AT, Korsmeyer SJ, Rajewsky K, von Boehmer H, Aifantis I. The BCL2A1 gene, as a pre-TCR-induced regulator of thymocyte survival and T cell leukemia. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2005 Feb 21;201(4):603–14. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 15728238.
Martin CH*, Aifantis I*, Scimone ML, von Andrian UH, Reizis B, von Boehmer H, Gounari F. B220+, CD19- precursors represent a missing link between bone marrow and intra-thymic lymphoid committed progenitors. Nature Immunology. 2003;4:866-873. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 12925850.
Sicinska E, Aifantis I, Le Cam L, Swat W, Borowski C, Yu Q, Ferrando AA, Levin SD, Geng Y, von Boehmer H, Sicinski P. Requirements for cyclin D3 in lymphocyte development and leukemia. Cancer Cell. 2003;4:451-61. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 14706337.
Aifantis I, Borowski C, Gounari F, Lacorazza HD, Nikolich-Zugich J, von Boehmer H. A critical role for the cytoplasmic tail of pre-TCRα in T lymphocyte development. Nature Immunology. 2002; 3:483-8. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11927911.
Gounari F*, Aifantis I*, Martin C, Fehling HJ, Hoeflinger S, Leder P, von Boehmer H, Reizis B. Tracing lymphopoiesis with the aid of a pre-TCRα controlled reporter gene. Nature Immunology. 2002;3:489-96. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11927910.
Aifantis I, Gounari F, Borowski C, Scorrano L, von Boehmer H. Constitutive pre-TCR signaling promotes differentiation through Ca2+ mobilization and activation of NF-kB and NF-AT. Nature Immunology. 2001;2:403-9. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11323693.
Gounari F*, Aifantis I*, Khazaie K, Hoeflinger S, Taketo M, von Boehmer H. Somatic activation of β-catenin, bypasses pre-TCR signaling and TCR-selection in thymocyte development. Nature Immunology. 2001;2:863-9. Cited in Pubmed; PMID 11526403.
Selected Books
Clark MR, Cooper AB, Wang L, Aifantis I. The Pre-B cell receptor in B cell development: Recent advances, persistent questions and conserved mechanisms. In: Grosschedl R, Singh H, editors. Molecular Analysis of B-Lymphocyte Development. Berlin: Springer Verlag; 2005. pp. 87–104.
