Francesco Colucci School of Clinical Medicine University of Cambridge Biography Publications Institution JoVE Articles Francesco Colucci Professor Francesco Colucci’s work has helped to understand how natural killer (NK) cells develop and function and how they recognize cancer cells. Since 2006, he has focused on how NK cells in the womb regulate healthy reproduction and fetal growth. Trained as a physician at Bari University in the late 80’s, Francesco moved to Umeå University in 1992 with a research scholarship from the Swedish Institute. There he learned to use tetraparental chimeras to study cellular mechanisms of disease. This became the subject of his PhD under the supervision of Takeshi Matsunaga and Dan Holmberg. He then moved to Jim Di Santo’s lab in Paris at the Necker Hospital in 1997. The lab relocated to the Pasteur Institute, where Francesco became associate professor in 2000. In 2004 he moved to Cambridge, UK as a group leader at the Babraham Institute to then move into his current post at the University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2010. Francesco is also fellow, director of studies in medicine and graduate tutor at King's College, manager of the Centre for Trophoblast Research in Cambridge, advisor to the advanced school of immunology Ruggero Ceppellini in Naples and visiting professor at the University of Turin. Publications Biology and Pathology of the Uterine Microenvironment and Its Natural Killer Cells Cellular & Molecular Immunology. Sep, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 34426671 How Do Uterine Natural Killer and Innate Lymphoid Cells Contribute to Successful Pregnancy? Frontiers in Immunology. Month, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 34234770 Maternal Natural Killer Cells at the Intersection Between Reproduction and Mucosal Immunity Mucosal Immunology. 09, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 33903735 The CD94/NKG2A Inhibitory Receptor Educates Uterine NK Cells to Optimize Pregnancy Outcomes in Humans and Mice Immunity. 06, 2021 | Pubmed ID: 33887202 Variations in Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor and Human Leukocyte Antigen Genes and Immunity to Malaria Cellular & Molecular Immunology. 08, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32541835 Sharing Knowledge With Young and Established Students of Immunology by the Neapolitan Gulf at the Ruggero Ceppellini Advanced School Frontiers in Immunology. Month, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32047501 Distinctive Phenotypes and Functions of Innate Lymphoid Cells in Human Decidua During Early Pregnancy Nature Communications. 01, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 31959757 Microbes, Immunity and Cancer in Capri: Another Successful Course of the EFIS-EJI Ruggero Ceppellini Advanced School of Immunology Founded by Serafino Zappacosta European Journal of Immunology. 12, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 31814128 The Immunological Code of Pregnancy Science (New York, N.Y.). 08, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 31467207 Placentation and Antitumor Immunity Regulated by a Scaffolding Protein in NK Cells Science Immunology. 08, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 31375527 Molecular Definition of Group 1 Innate Lymphoid Cells in the Mouse Uterus Nature Communications. 10, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 30374017 Report from the Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIR) Component of the 17th International HLA and Immunogenetics Workshop Human Immunology. Dec, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 30321631 A Comparative Analysis of Immune Privilege in Pregnancy and Cancer in the Context of Checkpoint Blockade Immunotherapy Seminars in Oncology. 06, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 30262396 High-Resolution Genetic and Phenotypic Analysis of KIR2DL1 Alleles and Their Association with Pre-Eclampsia Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). Nov, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 30249807 Decidualisation and Placentation Defects Are a Major Cause of Age-related Reproductive Decline Nature Communications. 09, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28874785 Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors on the Cusp of Modern Immunogenetics Immunology. 12, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28755388 The Role of KIR and HLA Interactions in Pregnancy Complications Immunogenetics. 08, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28695287 Uterine Natural Killer Cells: Functional Distinctions and Influence on Pregnancy in Humans and Mice Frontiers in Immunology. Month, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28484462 Activating KIR2DS4 Is Expressed by Uterine NK Cells and Contributes to Successful Pregnancy Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). 12, 2016 | Pubmed ID: 27815424 The Residual Innate Lymphoid Cells in NFIL3-Deficient Mice Support Suboptimal Maternal Adaptations to Pregnancy Frontiers in Immunology. Month, 2016 | Pubmed ID: 26925058 Disrupted PI3K P110δ Signaling Dysregulates Maternal Immune Cells and Increases Fetal Mortality In Mice Cell Reports. Dec, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26711346 HLA Class I Downregulation is Associated with Enhanced NK-cell Killing of Melanoma Cells with Acquired Drug Resistance to BRAF Inhibitors European Journal of Immunology. Nov, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26564811 Composition, Development, and Function of Uterine Innate Lymphoid Cells Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). Oct, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26371244 Tissue-Specific Education of Decidual NK Cells Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). Oct, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26320253 Co-evolution of NK Receptors and HLA Ligands in Humans is Driven by Reproduction Immunological Reviews. Sep, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26284484 To Feel or Not to Feel When My Group Harms Others? The Regulation of Collective Guilt As Motivated Reasoning Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin. Sep, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26130597 IL-12/15/18-preactivated NK cells Suppress GvHD in a Mouse Model of Mismatched Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation European Journal of Immunology. Jun, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25778912 An Oral Commensal Associates with Disease: Chicken, Egg, or Red Herring? Immunity. Feb, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25692696 Immunomodulation of Selective Naive T Cell Functions by P110δ Inactivation Improves the Outcome of Mismatched Cell Transplantation Cell Reports. Feb, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25660021 Maternal Uterine Natural Killer Cells Nurture Fetal Growth: in Medio Stat Virtus Trends in Molecular Medicine. Feb, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25618773 A KIR B Centromeric Region Present in Africans but Not Europeans Protects Pregnant Women from Pre-eclampsia Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Jan, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25561558 Enrichment of CD56(dim)KIR + CD57 + Highly Cytotoxic NK Cells in Tumour-infiltrated Lymph Nodes of Melanoma Patients Nature Communications. Month, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25472612 Medawar and the Immunological Paradox of Pregnancy: 60 Years On European Journal of Immunology. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25042825 Uterine NK Cells: Active Regulators at the Maternal-fetal Interface The Journal of Clinical Investigation. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24789879 MHC-dependent Inhibition of Uterine NK Cells Impedes Fetal Growth and Decidual Vascular Remodelling Nature Communications. Month, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24577131 Maternal Uterine NK Cell-activating Receptor KIR2DS1 Enhances Placentation The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24091323 DBA-lectin Reactivity Defines Mouse Uterine Natural Killer Cell Subsets with Biased Gene Expression Biology of Reproduction. Oct, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22875907 Impaired Natural Killer Cell Phenotype and Function in Idiopathic and Heritable Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Circulation. Aug, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22832786 Guardian of the Genome Turns on Genes That Alert Natural Killer Cells Cell Cycle (Georgetown, Tex.). Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22142860 How Does Variability of Immune System Genes Affect Placentation? Placenta. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21665273 Inositol Phospholipid Signaling and the Biology of Natural Killer Cells Journal of Innate Immunity. Month, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21422750 Paternal MHC Expression on Mouse Trophoblast Affects Uterine Vascularization and Fetal Growth Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Mar, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21300875 Immature NK Cells, Capable of Producing IL-22, Are Present in Human Uterine Mucosa Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). Oct, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20802153 New Views on Natural Killer Cell-based Immunotherapy for Melanoma Treatment Trends in Immunology. Sep, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20655806 Reprogramming of T Cells to Natural Killer-like Cells Upon Bcl11b Deletion Science (New York, N.Y.). Jul, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20538915 Taming Killer Cells May Halt Diabetes Progression Nature Immunology. Feb, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20084067 Analysis of Uterine Natural Killer Cells in Mice Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.). Month, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20033660 A Simple Method to Measure NK Cell Cytotoxicity in Vivo Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.). Month, 2010 | Pubmed ID: 20033651 PI3K Signaling in Lymphocyte Migration Cell Cycle (Georgetown, Tex.). Oct, 2009 | Pubmed ID: 19838082 Dicer-dependent MicroRNA Pathway Controls Invariant NKT Cell Development Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). Aug, 2009 | Pubmed ID: 19625646 NCRs and DNAM-1 Mediate NK Cell Recognition and Lysis of Human and Mouse Melanoma Cell Lines in Vitro and in Vivo The Journal of Clinical Investigation. May, 2009 | Pubmed ID: 19349689 P110gamma and P110delta Isoforms of Phosphoinositide 3-kinase Differentially Regulate Natural Killer Cell Migration in Health and Disease Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Apr, 2009 | Pubmed ID: 19297623 Unique Receptor Repertoire in Mouse Uterine NK Cells Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). Nov, 2008 | Pubmed ID: 18941204 Unexpected Partnership Between IL-15 and DAP10 Nature Immunology. Dec, 2007 | Pubmed ID: 18026080 The P110delta Catalytic Isoform of PI3K is a Key Player in NK-cell Development and Cytokine Secretion Blood. Nov, 2007 | Pubmed ID: 17644738 Dormant Tumor Cells Develop Cross-resistance to Apoptosis Induced by CTLs or Imatinib Mesylate Via Methylation of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 1 Cancer Research. May, 2007 | Pubmed ID: 17483365 Intellectual Edge Can Be Gained in Translation Nature. Mar, 2007 | Pubmed ID: 17377560 E2-2 Regulates the Expansion of Pro-B Cells and Follicular Versus Marginal Zone Decisions Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). Nov, 2006 | Pubmed ID: 17082585 Cmv4, a New Locus Linked to the NK Cell Gene Complex, Controls Innate Resistance to Cytomegalovirus in Wild-derived Mice Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). May, 2006 | Pubmed ID: 16622016 Phospholipase C-gamma2 is Essential for NK Cell Cytotoxicity and Innate Immunity to Malignant and Virally Infected Cells Blood. Feb, 2006 | Pubmed ID: 16204312 Vav Proteins Regulate Peripheral B-cell Survival Blood. Oct, 2005 | Pubmed ID: 15941910 Roles for Common Cytokine Receptor Gamma-chain-dependent Cytokines in the Generation, Differentiation, and Maturation of NK Cell Precursors and Peripheral NK Cells in Vivo Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). Feb, 2005 | Pubmed ID: 15661875 PLCgamma2 Regulates Bcl-2 Levels and is Required for Survival Rather Than Differentiation of Marginal Zone and Follicular B Cells European Journal of Immunology. Aug, 2004 | Pubmed ID: 15259021 The Absence of Grb2-associated Binder 2 (Gab2) Does Not Disrupt NK Cell Development and Functions Journal of Leukocyte Biology. Oct, 2004 | Pubmed ID: 15240750 He Who Laughs Last Laughs Best--innate Immunity and Viral Selection Immunity. Jun, 2004 | Pubmed ID: 15189731 Combined Deficiency in IkappaBalpha and IkappaBepsilon Reveals a Critical Window of NF-kappaB Activity in Natural Killer Cell Differentiation Blood. Jun, 2004 | Pubmed ID: 14764534 GATA-3 Promotes Maturation, IFN-gamma Production, and Liver-specific Homing of NK Cells Immunity. Nov, 2003 | Pubmed ID: 14614857 "A Japanese Gentleman of the Samurai Tradition": Takeshi Matsunaga 1945-2003 Immunogenetics. Nov, 2003 | Pubmed ID: 14557899 [Relevance of the Di Bella Case in the Relationship Between People and Official Medicine] Epidemiologia E Prevenzione. May-Jun, 2003 | Pubmed ID: 12958740 What Does It Take to Make a Natural Killer? Nature Reviews. Immunology. May, 2003 | Pubmed ID: 12766763 NKG2D Triggers Cytotoxicity in Mouse NK Cells Lacking DAP12 or Syk Family Kinases Nature Immunology. Jun, 2003 | Pubmed ID: 12740576 A Critical Role for Syk Protein Tyrosine Kinase in Fc Receptor-mediated Antigen Presentation and Induction of Dendritic Cell Maturation Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). Jan, 2003 | Pubmed ID: 12517949 Natural Killer Cell Activation in Mice and Men: Different Triggers for Similar Weapons? Nature Immunology. Sep, 2002 | Pubmed ID: 12205470 Natural Cytotoxicity Uncoupled from the Syk and ZAP-70 Intracellular Kinases Nature Immunology. Mar, 2002 | Pubmed ID: 11836527 Identification of the Earliest Prethymic Bipotent T/NK Progenitor in Murine Fetal Liver Blood. Jan, 2002 | Pubmed ID: 11781226 Isolamento delle cellule linfoidi innate uterine per l'analisi mediante citometria a flusso Delphine M. Depierreux*1,2, Emily Seshadri*1,2, Evgeniya V. Shmeleva*1,2, Jens Kieckbusch1,2, Delia A. Hawkes1, Francesco Colucci1,2 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, 2Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge JoVE 62670 Immunologie et Infection Valutazione della materna vascolare rimodellamento durante la gravidanza in utero mouse Jens Kieckbusch1,2, Louise M. Gaynor1,2, Francesco Colucci1,2 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, 2Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge Biologie du développement
Isolamento delle cellule linfoidi innate uterine per l'analisi mediante citometria a flusso Delphine M. Depierreux*1,2, Emily Seshadri*1,2, Evgeniya V. Shmeleva*1,2, Jens Kieckbusch1,2, Delia A. Hawkes1, Francesco Colucci1,2 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, 2Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge JoVE 62670 Immunologie et Infection
Valutazione della materna vascolare rimodellamento durante la gravidanza in utero mouse Jens Kieckbusch1,2, Louise M. Gaynor1,2, Francesco Colucci1,2 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, 2Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge Biologie du développement