About the research:
Dendritic cells (DCs) identify invading microorganisms and direct the body’s defense response. There are different types of DCs, each specialized in stimulating specific immune responses. This diversity is related to the developmental pathways that define their characteristics and functions. Our hypothesis is that inflammatory signals generated during infections alter DC development through epigenetic changes in the cells from which they originate. These changes regulate which genes can be activated, without altering the DNA sequence. We propose that this process modifies the types of DCs produced and, consequently, the type and quality of the immune response. The project aims to understand how infections influence the body’s defense by modifying the formation of the cells that coordinate this response.
Awards and honors:
Poster of Distintic in the cattegory of Posdoctoral fellow – XLVII Annual Congress of the Brazilian Society of Immunology, Brazilian Society of Immunology.
Selected publications:
SULCZEWSKI, FERNANDO BANDEIRA; MAQUEDA-ALFARO, RAUL A. ; ALCÁNTARA-HERNÁNDEZ, MARCELA ; PEREZ, ORIANA A. ; SARAVANAN, SANJANA ; YUN, TAE JIN ; SEONG, DAVID ; ARROYO HORNERO, REBECA ; RAQUER-MCKAY, HAYLEY M. ; ESTEVA, EDUARDO ; LANZAR, ZACHARY R. ; LEYLEK, REBECCA A. ; ADAMS, NICHOLAS M. ; DAS, ANNESA ; RAHMAN, ADEEB H. ; GOTTFRIED-BLACKMORE, ANDRES ; REIZIS, BORIS ; IDOYAGA, JULIANA . Transitional dendritic cells are distinct from conventional DC2 precursors and mediate proinflammatory antiviral responses. NATURE IMMUNOLOGY, v. 24, p. 1265-1280, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01545-7
VOBO’IL, MATOU ; SULCZEWSKI, FERNANDO BANDEIRA ; MARTINEZ, RYAN J. ; ASHBY, K. MAUDE ; VALERIO, MICHAEL MANOHARAN ; IDOYAGA, JULIANA ; HOGQUIST, KRISTIN A. . Thymic myeloid cells are heterogenous and include a novel population of transitional dendritic cells. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE, v. 223, p. e20250733, 2026 https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20250733
PUCELLA, J. N. ; MAQUEDA-ALFARO, RAUL A. ; NI, H. ; SULCZEWSKI, F. B. ; EICHINGER, A. ; ESTEVA, EDUARDO ; RA, A. ; DAS, ANNESA ; PEREZ, ORIANA A. ; FENG, J. ; STOECKIUS, M. ; SMIBERT, P. ; KHODADADI-JAMAYRAN, A. ; DOLGALEV, I. ; IVANOVA, E. ; SOTA, S. ; CADWELL, K. H. ; KORALOV, S. B. ; ZHONG, J. ; SONI, C. ; et.al . Tonic type I interferon signaling optimizes the antiviral function of plasmacytoid dendritic cells. NATURE IMMUNOLOGY, v. 26, p. sp-sp, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-025-02279-4
SULCZEWSKI, FERNANDO BANDEIRA; MARTINO, LARISSA ALVES ; SALLES, DAVI ; YAMAMOTO, MÁRCIO MASSAO ; ROSA, DANIELA SANTORO ; BOSCARDIN, SILVIA BEATRIZ . STAT3 signaling modulates the immune response induced after antigen targeting to conventional type 1 dendritic cells through the DEC205 receptor. Frontiers in Immunology, v. 13, p. 1006996, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1006996
SULCZEWSKI, FERNANDO BANDEIRA; MARTINO, LARISSA ALVES ; ALMEIDA, BIANCA DA SILVA ; ZANETI, ARTHUR BARUEL ; FERREIRA, NATÁLIA SOARES ; AMORIM, KELLY NAZARÉ DA SILVA ; YAMAMOTO, MÁRCIO MASSAO ; APOSTOLICO, JULIANA DE SOUZA ; ROSA, DANIELA SANTORO ; BOSCARDIN, SILVIA BEATRIZ . Conventional type 1 dendritic cells induce T H 1, T H 1-like follicular helper T cells and regulatory T cells after antigen boost via DEC205 receptor. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (INTERNET), v. 50, p. 1895-1911, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.202048694
