Tania Wong
@taniawong.bsky.social
Assistant Professor & Chancellor Scholar
Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics | Center for Immunity and Inflammation | Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Host-pathogen interactions, innate immune and metabolic responses
Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics | Center for Immunity and Inflammation | Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Host-pathogen interactions, innate immune and metabolic responses
Reposted by Tania Wong
#WeekendRead! #ImmunometabolismPower! Kunkemoeller @hannahprendeville.bsky.social @lydialynch.bsky.social &co show @natmetabolism.nature.com that not all fats are equal & that animal, & not plant, fats drive immune suppressive metabolites dampening NK & T cell anti #tumor responses!
The source of dietary fat influences anti-tumour immunity in obese mice - Nature Metabolism
This study shows that animal-based high-fat diets accelerate tumour growth and impair anti-tumour response to melanoma in obese mice, whereas plant-based high-fat diets do not.
www.nature.com
August 31, 2025 at 2:38 PM
#WeekendRead! #ImmunometabolismPower! Kunkemoeller @hannahprendeville.bsky.social @lydialynch.bsky.social &co show @natmetabolism.nature.com that not all fats are equal & that animal, & not plant, fats drive immune suppressive metabolites dampening NK & T cell anti #tumor responses!
Truly honored and thankful to receive an R35 MIRA grant from NIGMS - grateful for the support and the opportunity to pursue our research on diet-mediated immunometabolic responses in the context of infectious diseases.
August 8, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Truly honored and thankful to receive an R35 MIRA grant from NIGMS - grateful for the support and the opportunity to pursue our research on diet-mediated immunometabolic responses in the context of infectious diseases.
Pleased to share our latest study @natcomms.nature.com! We show that the host metabolites fumarate and itaconate impose selective pressure on Staphylococcus aureus, driving its adaptation via the enzyme FumC. Grateful to all who contributed to this work!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Regulation of airway fumarate by host and pathogen promotes Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia - Nature Communications
This study reveals how the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus adapts to the lung microenvironment, rich in host metabolites fumarate and itaconate, by using a key enzyme, FumC, to support its metabolic fi...
www.nature.com
August 1, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Pleased to share our latest study @natcomms.nature.com! We show that the host metabolites fumarate and itaconate impose selective pressure on Staphylococcus aureus, driving its adaptation via the enzyme FumC. Grateful to all who contributed to this work!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Appreciate the Rutgers News feature on this year’s i3D Symposium. It was a great opportunity to bring together researchers across multiple disciplines. Thanks to everyone who contributed to a successful event.
www.rutgers.edu/news/expandi...
www.rutgers.edu/news/expandi...
Expanding Institute, Growing Reach: i3D’s Symposium Shows Its Momentum
The Rutgers Health Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases uses a fast-expanding conference to trade fresh data, forge collaborations and spotlight new talent.
www.rutgers.edu
July 29, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Appreciate the Rutgers News feature on this year’s i3D Symposium. It was a great opportunity to bring together researchers across multiple disciplines. Thanks to everyone who contributed to a successful event.
www.rutgers.edu/news/expandi...
www.rutgers.edu/news/expandi...
Reposted by Tania Wong
🄰🅆🄴🅂🄾🄼🄴
Stubbusch et al 𝘚𝘊𝘐𝘌𝘕𝘊𝘌
Bacteria 🦠 repurpose Type VI Secretion Systems based on environmental cues:
Nutrient-rich environments ➜ kill competitors
Under starvation ➜ lyse neighbors to scavenge their nutrients
Even “non-pathogens” shift from competition to predation as a survival strategy
Stubbusch et al 𝘚𝘊𝘐𝘌𝘕𝘊𝘌
Bacteria 🦠 repurpose Type VI Secretion Systems based on environmental cues:
Nutrient-rich environments ➜ kill competitors
Under starvation ➜ lyse neighbors to scavenge their nutrients
Even “non-pathogens” shift from competition to predation as a survival strategy
Antagonism as a foraging strategy in microbial communities
In natural habitats, nutrient availability limits bacterial growth. We discovered that bacteria can overcome this limitation by acquiring nutrients by lysing neighboring cells through contact-dependen...
www.science.org
June 14, 2025 at 4:37 AM
🄰🅆🄴🅂🄾🄼🄴
Stubbusch et al 𝘚𝘊𝘐𝘌𝘕𝘊𝘌
Bacteria 🦠 repurpose Type VI Secretion Systems based on environmental cues:
Nutrient-rich environments ➜ kill competitors
Under starvation ➜ lyse neighbors to scavenge their nutrients
Even “non-pathogens” shift from competition to predation as a survival strategy
Stubbusch et al 𝘚𝘊𝘐𝘌𝘕𝘊𝘌
Bacteria 🦠 repurpose Type VI Secretion Systems based on environmental cues:
Nutrient-rich environments ➜ kill competitors
Under starvation ➜ lyse neighbors to scavenge their nutrients
Even “non-pathogens” shift from competition to predation as a survival strategy
Pleased to have co-chaired the 2025 Rutgers Symposium with @jackhsu.bsky.social #hostpathogeninteractions #immunometabolism
Many thanks to all our speakers! @aiinglim.bsky.social @shanluliu.bsky.social @roi1avraham.bsky.social @briandaniels.bsky.social and many others
Many thanks to all our speakers! @aiinglim.bsky.social @shanluliu.bsky.social @roi1avraham.bsky.social @briandaniels.bsky.social and many others
June 1, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Pleased to have co-chaired the 2025 Rutgers Symposium with @jackhsu.bsky.social #hostpathogeninteractions #immunometabolism
Many thanks to all our speakers! @aiinglim.bsky.social @shanluliu.bsky.social @roi1avraham.bsky.social @briandaniels.bsky.social and many others
Many thanks to all our speakers! @aiinglim.bsky.social @shanluliu.bsky.social @roi1avraham.bsky.social @briandaniels.bsky.social and many others
Congratulations @daneparkerlab.com! Rutgers NJ Medical School Faculty of the Year Award! Well deserved!
May 23, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Congratulations @daneparkerlab.com! Rutgers NJ Medical School Faculty of the Year Award! Well deserved!
Excited to share our preprint demonstrating how fumarate metabolism by host and pathogen promotes pneumonia! Itaconate synergizes with fumarate, driving staphylococcal adaptation for survival. Check it out!👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Regulation of airway fumarate by host and pathogen promotes S. aureus pneumonia
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of healthcare-associated pneumonia, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality worldwide. As a ubiquitous colonizer of the upper respiratory tract, ...
www.biorxiv.org
April 19, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Excited to share our preprint demonstrating how fumarate metabolism by host and pathogen promotes pneumonia! Itaconate synergizes with fumarate, driving staphylococcal adaptation for survival. Check it out!👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Tania Wong
Itaconate modulates immune responses via inhibition of peroxiredoxin 5 @natmetabolism.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Itaconate modulates immune responses via inhibition of peroxiredoxin 5 - Nature Metabolism
Itaconate is shown to non-covalently inhibit the antioxidant enzyme peroxiredoxin 5 in macrophages, thereby modulating the production of mitochondrial peroxide and enhancing the type I interferon prod...
www.nature.com
April 18, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Itaconate modulates immune responses via inhibition of peroxiredoxin 5 @natmetabolism.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Tania Wong
Systemic inflammation impairs myelopoiesis and interferon type I responses in humans
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@natimmunol.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@natimmunol.bsky.social
April 18, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Systemic inflammation impairs myelopoiesis and interferon type I responses in humans
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@natimmunol.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@natimmunol.bsky.social
Reposted by Tania Wong
Bacterial pneumonia induces senescence in resident alveolar macrophages that are outcompeted by monocytes @cp-cellreports.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
April 17, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Bacterial pneumonia induces senescence in resident alveolar macrophages that are outcompeted by monocytes @cp-cellreports.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Thrilled to present my lab’s work at @escmid.bsky.social. Also chuffed to have bumped into fellow @klebclub.bsky.social member, Renee @fleemanlab.bsky.social!
April 12, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Thrilled to present my lab’s work at @escmid.bsky.social. Also chuffed to have bumped into fellow @klebclub.bsky.social member, Renee @fleemanlab.bsky.social!
🎉 It's official! Our lab website is LIVE! Come check it out to learn about our research, meet the team, and see what exciting things we're working on!
www.taniawonglabrutgers.com
www.taniawonglabrutgers.com
Tania Wong Laboratory - Rutgers Center for Immunity and Inflammation
www.taniawonglabrutgers.com
February 21, 2025 at 8:45 PM
🎉 It's official! Our lab website is LIVE! Come check it out to learn about our research, meet the team, and see what exciting things we're working on!
www.taniawonglabrutgers.com
www.taniawonglabrutgers.com
Reposted by Tania Wong
#LocationLocationLocation! @soleimanpourlab.bsky.social &co show @science.org that loss of mitochondrial functionality drives defective OXPHOS activating a retrograde signal from mitochondria to nuclei causing chromatin remodeling & immaturity in metabolic tissues www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Retrograde mitochondrial signaling governs the identity and maturity of metabolic tissues
Mitochondrial damage is a hallmark of metabolic diseases, including diabetes, yet the consequences of compromised mitochondria in metabolic tissues are often unclear. Here, we report that dysfunctiona...
www.science.org
February 6, 2025 at 11:02 PM
#LocationLocationLocation! @soleimanpourlab.bsky.social &co show @science.org that loss of mitochondrial functionality drives defective OXPHOS activating a retrograde signal from mitochondria to nuclei causing chromatin remodeling & immaturity in metabolic tissues www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Tania Wong
#WeekendRead! #LipidPower! @miriammerad.bsky.social &co show @natimmunol.bsky.social that to get activated, #DCs steal from cell debris & produce their own cholesterol which is organized in plasma membrane lipid nanodomains! AXL reduces this process & its deletion augment anti-tumor immunity!
Cholesterol mobilization regulates dendritic cell maturation and the immunogenic response to cancer - Nature Immunology
To mature, dendritic cells collect and synthesize cholesterol to construct lipid nanodomains on their membranes. Obstructing this process impairs their ability to prime T cells.
doi.org
February 2, 2025 at 5:31 PM
#WeekendRead! #LipidPower! @miriammerad.bsky.social &co show @natimmunol.bsky.social that to get activated, #DCs steal from cell debris & produce their own cholesterol which is organized in plasma membrane lipid nanodomains! AXL reduces this process & its deletion augment anti-tumor immunity!
Reposted by Tania Wong
SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in previously vaccinated individuals are characterized by reduced activation of innate immune responses
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@blishlab.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@blishlab.bsky.social
Prior vaccination prevents overactivation of innate immune responses during COVID-19 breakthrough infection
SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in previously vaccinated individuals are characterized by reduced activation of innate immune responses.
www.science.org
January 29, 2025 at 9:40 PM
SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in previously vaccinated individuals are characterized by reduced activation of innate immune responses
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@blishlab.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@blishlab.bsky.social
Reposted by Tania Wong
Come and join our team at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital! We are seeking a Sr Scientist to advance our research on immune responses to infection/vaccination. This is a financially stable position offering a highly competitive salary and excellent benefits.
talent.stjude.org/careers/jobs...
talent.stjude.org/careers/jobs...
Senior Scientist-Immunology, Vaccinology, Infection in Memphis, Tennessee | St. Jude Careers
St. Jude Careers is hiring a Senior Scientist-Immunology, Vaccinology, Infection in Memphis, Tennessee. Review all of the job details and apply today!
talent.stjude.org
January 17, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Come and join our team at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital! We are seeking a Sr Scientist to advance our research on immune responses to infection/vaccination. This is a financially stable position offering a highly competitive salary and excellent benefits.
talent.stjude.org/careers/jobs...
talent.stjude.org/careers/jobs...
Reposted by Tania Wong
Thanks to @cp-trendsendomet.bsky.social
for giving us the opportunity to write about our favourite metabolite, fumarate.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
for giving us the opportunity to write about our favourite metabolite, fumarate.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Fumarate
www.sciencedirect.com
January 16, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Thanks to @cp-trendsendomet.bsky.social
for giving us the opportunity to write about our favourite metabolite, fumarate.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
for giving us the opportunity to write about our favourite metabolite, fumarate.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Tania Wong
Scientists have identified functional differences between human and mouse PD-1, which could impact preclinical research on cancer immunotherapies.
Read more in #ScienceImmunology:
Read more in #ScienceImmunology:
Functional differences between rodent and human PD-1 linked to evolutionary divergence
A highly conserved motif in human PD-1 but absent in rodent PD-1 is linked to differential inhibitory activity.
scim.ag
January 10, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Scientists have identified functional differences between human and mouse PD-1, which could impact preclinical research on cancer immunotherapies.
Read more in #ScienceImmunology:
Read more in #ScienceImmunology:
Reposted by Tania Wong
Important stuff
Immune checkpoint inhibitors that block PD-1 pathway effective vs. many cancers
New @IMMUNITY: impaired memory B cell development and IgG/A responses in humans and mice deficient in PD-1 signaling
This dysregulation may explain ⬆️ risk of infection or autoimmunity in these patients
Immune checkpoint inhibitors that block PD-1 pathway effective vs. many cancers
New @IMMUNITY: impaired memory B cell development and IgG/A responses in humans and mice deficient in PD-1 signaling
This dysregulation may explain ⬆️ risk of infection or autoimmunity in these patients
Impaired development of memory B cells and antibody responses in humans and mice deficient in PD-1 signaling
Ogishi, Kitaoka, et al. examine humans deficient in PD-1 and PD-L1 as well as associated
mouse models and find that PD-1 and PD-L1 promote B cell memory and antibody responses
through both T cell-depe...
www.cell.com
November 27, 2024 at 2:24 PM
Important stuff
Immune checkpoint inhibitors that block PD-1 pathway effective vs. many cancers
New @IMMUNITY: impaired memory B cell development and IgG/A responses in humans and mice deficient in PD-1 signaling
This dysregulation may explain ⬆️ risk of infection or autoimmunity in these patients
Immune checkpoint inhibitors that block PD-1 pathway effective vs. many cancers
New @IMMUNITY: impaired memory B cell development and IgG/A responses in humans and mice deficient in PD-1 signaling
This dysregulation may explain ⬆️ risk of infection or autoimmunity in these patients
Reposted by Tania Wong
Interesting, a fluorescent biosensors to illuminate arginine metabolism in cells, mice, and clinical samples.
#Arginine #biosensor
Lighting up arginine metabolism reveals its functional diversity in physiology and pathology: Cell Metabolism www.cell.com/cell-metabol...
#Arginine #biosensor
Lighting up arginine metabolism reveals its functional diversity in physiology and pathology: Cell Metabolism www.cell.com/cell-metabol...
November 23, 2024 at 8:36 AM
Interesting, a fluorescent biosensors to illuminate arginine metabolism in cells, mice, and clinical samples.
#Arginine #biosensor
Lighting up arginine metabolism reveals its functional diversity in physiology and pathology: Cell Metabolism www.cell.com/cell-metabol...
#Arginine #biosensor
Lighting up arginine metabolism reveals its functional diversity in physiology and pathology: Cell Metabolism www.cell.com/cell-metabol...