Source: Interfolio F180
Alejandra Mendoza, PhD
Research Focus
Skin neuro-immune interactions
In the skin, diverse cell types communicate to enable integration of, and adequate reaction to a wide range of stimuli such as temperature, mechanical and chemical stresses, tissue damage, and infection. Cells of the nervous and immune systems sense potentially harmful deviations from normality and ensure the avoidance, clearance, or sequestration of their causative agents. One of the goals of the lab is to understand how sensory neurons respond and influence inflammation.
Endogenous opioids and inflammation
Our lab seeks to uncover how endogenous opioid signaling mediates communication between sensory neurons and immune cells to regulate tissue homeostasis. This project will provide new insights on the molecular underpinnings of endogenous analgesics’ roles in maintaining physiological equilibrium in response to sensory inputs, a key concept that may have major implications on novel therapies for chronic conditions involving pain, itch and inflammation.
B cell heterogeneity and mucosal responses
Our lab is interested in whether at mucosal sites, environmental factors orchestrate the expression of transcription factors that promote the generation of particular B cell activation states giving rise to distinct germinal centers, memory B cells, and plasma cell populations. A goal of the lab is to uncover novel spatial distribution and functional heterogeneity in B cells, the cellular circuits they form, and their role in immune defense, autoimmunity, and allergy.
Education
Ph.D. (Basic Medical Science), New York University, 2015Awards & Professional Activities
Bridges to the Future Undergraduate Research Award (NIGMS and HHMI) 2003-2007Henry King Scholarship 2005-2007
National Research Service Award (NIH T32) 2010-2012
National Research Service Award (NIH T32) 2015-2016
National Research Service Award (NIH T32) 2016-2017
Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship (2017 - 2020)
2021 Basic and Translational Immunology Postdoctoral Award, Ludwig Cancer Research Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
2022 Postdoctoral Fellowship, Center for Experimental Immuno-oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Selected Publications
Yewdell, William T.; Smolkin, Ryan M.; Belcheva, Kalina T.; Mendoza, Alejandra; Michaels, Anthony J.; Cols, Montserrat; Angeletti, Davide; Yewdell, Jonathan W.; Chaudhuri, Jayanta Temporal dynamics of persistent germinal centers and memory B cell differentiation following respiratory virus infection. 2021, 37, 109961.
Brown, Chrysothemis C C.; Gudjonson, Herman; Pritykin, Yuri; Deep, Deeksha; Lavallée, Vincent- P.; Mendoza, Alejandra; Fromme, Rachel; Mazutis, Linas; Ariyan, Charlotte; Leslie, Christina; Pe'er, Dana; Rudensky, Alexander Y. Transcriptional Basis of Mouse and Human Dendritic Cell Heterogeneity. 2019, 179, 846-863.e24.
Fan, Xiying; Moltedo, Bruno; Mendoza, Alejandra; Davydov, Alexey N.; Faire, Mehlika B.; Mazutis, Linas; Sharma, Roshan; Pe'er, Dana; Chudakov, D M.; Rudensky, Alexander Y. CD49b defines functionally mature Treg cells that survey skin and vascular tissues. 2018, 215, 2796-2814.
Levine, Andrew G.; Mendoza, Alejandra; Hemmers, Saskia; Moltedo, Bruno; Niec, Rach E.; Schizas, Michail; Hoyos, B E.; Putintseva, Ekaterina V.; Chaudhry, Ashutosh; Dikiy, Stanislav; Fujisawa, Sho; Chudakov, D M.; Treuting, Piper M.; Rudensky, Alexander Y. Stability and function of regulatory T cells expressing the transcription factor T-bet. 2017, 546, 421-425.
Mendoza, Alejandra; Fang, Victoria; Chen, Cynthia; Serasinghe, Madhavika; Verma, Akanksha; Muller, James; Chaluvadi, V S.; Dustin, Michae L.; Hla, Timothy; Elemento, Olivier; Chipuk, J E.; Schwab, Susan R. Lymphatic endothelial S1P promotes mitochondrial function and survival in naive T cells. 2017, 546, 158-161.