Department of Biomedical Sciences (Master's Program in Clinical Trials Assessment)

Lab & Research Interest

All multicellular organisms are constantly challenged by a plethora of pathogens and thus require protection to survive. The defense mechanisms can be broadly divided into the "innate" and the "adaptive" immune systems. The former relies on the recognition of conserved pathogen associated molecular patterns whereas the latter utilizes randomly generated antigen receptors, immunoglobulins (Igs) and T cell receptors (TCRs), without pre-defined specificities. The central theme of my laboratory is to understand the evolution of immune systems including the events that led to the emergence of adaptive immunity and lymphocytes in the common ancestor of all vertebrates.

Why is this important? New human infectious diseases emerge when a pathogen jumps from its natural host – typically an animal – to a human individual. Importantly, the immune system of the natural host evolved to tolerate this microorganism, while our own immune system has not. Understanding how a natural host does so will identify novel strategies for treatments of novel infectious diseases.

We currently focused on three distinct themes using four unique model systems (two sea urchins, one sea anemone, and one fish):

1) The evolution of immune genes including cytokines

We identify invertebrate homologs of mammalian immune genes using a variety of bioinformatics screens and study the properties and functions of these candidates in mammalian cell line models and in vivo.

2) The evolution of innate immune cell types

Mammalian immune systems rely on a large variety of distinct immune cells that can be easily isolated and studied using flow cytometry. These cells are thought to have evolved from their invertebrate ancestors, but little is known about invertebrate immune cell populations except for morphological features that are used to classify them. We are now trying to define these ancestries based on the conservation of the gene expression profiles.

3) The immune system of the Formosan land-locked salmon

Publications

1.          Yen, Y.-H., Zheng, D.Y., Yang, S.Y., Gwo, J.-C., Fugmann, S.D. The cytokine genes of Oncorhynchus masou formosanus include a defective interleukin-4/13A gene. Dev Comp Immunol, 2024 155:105156.

2.          Hsueh, S.W., Jian, Y.-H., Fugmann, S.D., Shu Yuan Yang, S.Y. Polystyrene-colonizing bacteria are enriched for long-chain alkane degradation pathways. PLOS ONE, 2023, 18(10):e0292137.

3.          Chou, S.-T., Lin, T.-M., Yang, H.-Y., Fugmann, S.D. Functional characterization of the MyD88 homologs in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Dev Comp Immunol, 2023 139:104580.

4.          Li, Y. R., Lai, H. W., Huang, H. H., Chen, H. C., Fugmann, S. D., Yang, S. Y. Trajectory Mapping of the Early Drosophila Germline Reveals Controls of Zygotic Activation and Sex Differentiation. Genome Research, 2021 Apr:gr.271148.120.

5.          AID/APOBEC-like cytidine deaminases are ancient innate immune mediators in invertebrates. Liu MC, Liao WY, Buckley KM, Yang SY, Rast JP, Fugmann SD. Nat Commun. 2018 May 16;9(1):1948. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04273-x.

6.          Lectins identify distinct populations of coelomocytes in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Liao WY, Fugmann SD. PLoS One. 2017 Nov 10;12(11):e0187987. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187987.

7.          Evidence for parallel evolution of a gene involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis. Wang XR, Ling LB, Huang HH, Lin JJ, Fugmann SD, Yang SY. Proc Biol Sci. 2017 May 31;284(1855):20170324. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0324.

8.          Collaboration of RAG2 with RAG1-like proteins during the evolution of V(D)J recombination. Carmona LM, Fugmann SD, Schatz DG. Genes Dev. 2016 Apr 15;30(8):909-17. doi: 10.1101/gad.278432.116. Epub 2016 Apr 7.

9.          Form follows function - the three-dimensional structure of antigen receptor gene loci. Fugmann SD. Curr Opin Immunol. 2014 Apr;27:33-7. doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2014.01.011. Epub 2014 Feb 16.