Dr. Reizis joined UChicago in 2025 from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where he has been the Samuel A. Brown Professor of Medicine and a founding director of the Translational Immunology Center. His lab is studying fundamental mechanisms of immune system development, immunological tolerance and autoimmunity.
One major area of research is dendritic cells (DCs), innate sentinel cells that comprise the antigen-presenting classical DCs (cDCs) and interferon-producing plasmacytoid DC (pDCs). The Reizis lab has identified several key transcriptional regulators and signaling pathways that control the DC lineage, such as the "master regulator" of pDC development (TCF4/E2-2), the driver of cDC differentiation in the periphery (NOTCH2) and the common regulator of pDC and cDC development (TRIM33). Recent studies have characterized the role of 3D chromatin organization in the differentiation and/or function of cDCs and pDCs. Finally, the lab has identified transcription factor ETV3 as a specific regulator of cDC maturation that enables the tolerogenic function of DC in the steady state. These genetic insights are used to better characterize the role of DCs in immune response to infections, immune homeostasis and autoimmunity.
The lab also studies systemic autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which is characterized by autoreactivity to nuclear antigens including ribonucleoproteins and DNA. Of particular interest are antibody responses to self DNA, which are prevalent and pathogenic in SLE. The lab has defined the extracellular nuclease DNASE1L3 as an essential gatekeeper of tolerance to self-DNA, and revealed its autoantibody-mediated blockade in more than half of human patients with severe SLE. Current studies include the mechanisms that cause the breakdown of tolerance and propagation of autoreactivity in SLE and its animal models.
Transcription factor Etv3 controls the tolerogenic function of dendritic cells.
Transcription factor Etv3 controls the tolerogenic function of dendritic cells. Science. 2026 Feb 12; 391(6786):eads1246.
PMID: 41678619
Chromatin-mediated anticipatory control of type I interferon production in plasmacytoid dendritic cells.
Chromatin-mediated anticipatory control of type I interferon production in plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Immunity. 2026 Feb 10; 59(2):270-287.e11.
PMID: 41672043
Cohesin-mediated chromatin organization controls the differentiation and function of dendritic cells.
Cohesin-mediated chromatin organization controls the differentiation and function of dendritic cells. Sci Immunol. 2026 Feb 06; 11(116):eadx4622.
PMID: 41650249
Tonic type I interferon signaling optimizes the antiviral function of plasmacytoid dendritic cells.
Tonic type I interferon signaling optimizes the antiviral function of plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Nat Immunol. 2025 Nov; 26(11):1946-1961.
PMID: 41087726
Peritumoral macrophages recruit eosinophils to promote antitumor immune responses in breast cancer.
Peritumoral macrophages recruit eosinophils to promote antitumor immune responses in breast cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Sep 23; 122(38):e2504645122.
PMID: 40953260
Leukemogenic Kras mutation reprograms multipotent progenitors to facilitate its spread through the hematopoietic system.
Leukemogenic Kras mutation reprograms multipotent progenitors to facilitate its spread through the hematopoietic system. J Exp Med. 2025 Jun 02; 222(6).
PMID: 40072317
Ontogeny and Function of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells.
Ontogeny and Function of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells. Annu Rev Immunol. 2024 06; 42(1):347-373.
PMID: 38941603
Genome-wide screening identifies Trim33 as an essential regulator of dendritic cell differentiation.
Genome-wide screening identifies Trim33 as an essential regulator of dendritic cell differentiation. Sci Immunol. 2024 04 12; 9(94):eadi1023.
PMID: 38608038
Clonal barcoding of endogenous adult hematopoietic stem cells reveals a spectrum of lineage contributions.
Clonal barcoding of endogenous adult hematopoietic stem cells reveals a spectrum of lineage contributions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Jan 23; 121(4):e2317929121.
PMID: 38227649
Cutting Edge: TLR2 Signaling in B Cells Promotes Autoreactivity to DNA via IL-6 Secretion.
Cutting Edge: TLR2 Signaling in B Cells Promotes Autoreactivity to DNA via IL-6 Secretion. J Immunol. 2023 11 15; 211(10):1475-1480.
PMID: 37800687