Faculty

Thomas G. Forsthuber, M.D. Ph.D.
Professor of Immunology
Adjunct Professor of Pathology UTHSCSA
Office: BSE 3.254
Phone: (210) 458-5760
Thomas.Forsthuber@utsa.edu

Dr. Forsthuber joined the UTSA faculty in 2005 from Case Western Reserve University, where he was an Associate Professor of Pathology. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Tübingen, Germany, was a Pathology resident at University Hospitals in Cleveland from 1994-1998, and joined the faculty of the Institute of Pathology in 1997.
Forsthuber has received numerous honors, including the American Society for Investigative Pathology Merit Award in 1995, and the Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar Junior Faculty Award of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in 1997. He is Deputy Editor for the journal Cellular Immunology, and serves as a reviewer for a number of scientific journals and funding agencies including the NIH, VA, and National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

RESEARCH FOCUS: Cellular immunology, T cell immunity, autoimmune diseases,
The immune system plays a fundamental role in the defense against microbial pathogens. However, erroneous activation of the immune system can lead to autoimmune diseases. Our laboratory pursues several lines of investigation to understand how T cells contribute to autoimmune diseases and protection from infection, and how to modulate T cell immunity for therapeutic purposes in humans.
1) Autoimmune diseases: We have developed novel models to understand how T cells contribute to autoimmune diseases and how to stop “bad” T cells. We are studying experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE, a mouse model for multiple sclerosis, MS), and collagen or human cartilage gp-39 induced arthritis (as a model for rheumatoid arthritis, RA) in “humanized” transgenic mice that express human genes such as transplantation antigens (MHC genes). Using this system we can address questions directly relevant for human patients and test novel treatments, which is otherwise not possible (Forsthuber, J. Immunology 2001; Gross, Science 1998; Klehmet, Clinical Immunology, 2004).
2) Vaccine development: We are interested in the development of new adjuvant formulations for human vaccines. We are in particular interested in pharmacological targeting of the signaling cascades which determine the induction of type-1/type-2 cytokine T cell responses, as is required to develop vaccines and therapies of autoimmunity. We have pioneered the cytokine ELISPOT assay as a mainstream method to measure T cell responses to antigens in animals and humans (Forsthuber, Science, 1996, Denkinger, Int. Immunopharmacology, 2004).
3) T cell biology: One of our current interests is the role of MAP kinases in T cell development and function. Moreover, we are studying the role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in T cell development, function, and in autoimmunity. Finally, we are investigating neonatal T cell immunity (Nekrasova, J. Immunology, 2005; Forsthuber, Science, 1996; Denkinger, J. Immunology, 2003).

Mouse Models of the human autoimmune disease
Multiple Sclerosis: Histology of mice with EAE

 
Pathogenic T cell responses can be monitored in the blood and CNS
of mice by cytokine ELISPOT

SJL mice immunized with neuroantigen develop EAE. Tested after 90 days.

Recent Publications

Claudia Denkinger, Michael Denkinger, Jens Kort, Christine Metz, and Thomas G. Forsthuber. Effects of Blockade of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) on EAE: Amelioration of Acute Disease by Inhibition of Homing of Encephalitogenic T cells to the Central Nervous System. J.Immunol., 170:1274-1282, 2003

Harald H. Hofstetter, Diane L. Sewell, Frances Liu, Matyas Sandor, Thomas Forsthuber, Paul V. Lehmann, Zsuzsa Fabry. Autoreactive T cells promote post-traumatic healing in the central nervous system. Journal of Neuroimmunology, 134: 25-34, 2003

Fingerle-Rowson G, Petrenko O, Pascal J, Forsthuber TG, Mitchell R, Sharpe A, Huss R, Metz CN, Moll U, Rajewsky K, Bucala R. The p53-dependent effects of Macrophage migration inhibitory factor. PNAS 100(16): 9254-9359, 2003

Michael Denkinger, Carey L. Shive, Birte Pantenburg, and Thomas G. Forsthuber. The G-protein Antagonist Suramin Has Adjuvant Properties in Vivo, and Induces Clonal Expansion of Antigen-specific Th1 and Th2 Cells. International Immunopharmacology 4:15-24, 2004

Juliane Klehmet, Carey L. Shive, Robert Weissert, and Thomas G. Forsthuber. Determinant spreading to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein epitopes in HLA-DR4 (DRB1*0401) transgenic mice. Clinical Immunology, 111: 53-60, 2004

Harald H. Hofstetter, Oleg S. Targoni, Alexey Y Karulin, Maike D. Hesse, Amitabh Gaur, Thomas G. Forsthuber and Paul V. Lehmann. Does the frequency and avidity spectrum of the neuroantigen-specific T cells in the blood mirror the autoimmune process in the brain of mice undergoing EAE? J. Immunol, 174(8): 4598-4605, 2005

Nekrasova, TN, Shive, C., Gao, Y, Kawamura, K.K., Landreth, G, Forsthuber, T.G. Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase 1 Deficient Mice Exhibit Severe Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis and Impaired Activation-Induced Cell Death. J. Immunol, 175: 2374-2380, 2005

Harald H. Hofstetter, Carey L. Shive, and Thomas G. Forsthuber. Neonatal Th1 autoimmunity protects against Th1-mediated autoimmune disease. In preparation.

Macaubas,C., J.Wahlstrom, A.P.Galvao da Silva, T.G.Forsthuber, G.Sonderstrup, W.W.Kwok, R.H.DeKruyff, and D.T.Umetsu.. Allergen-specific MHC class II tetramer+ cells are detectable in allergic, but not in nonallergic, individuals. J. Immunol. 176:5069-5077, 2006

Kort,J.J., K.Kawamura, L.Fugger, R.Weissert, and T.G.Forsthuber. Efficient presentation of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptides but not protein by astrocytes from HLA-DR2 and HLA-DR4 transgenic mice. J. Neuroimmunol. 173:23-34, 2006

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