Faculty

RICHARD G. LYNCH, M.D. Professor Emeritus Pathology - 387 Medical Research Center Iowa City, IA 52242-1009 richard-lynch@uiowa.edu Voice: 319-335-9045 M.D. University of Rochester, 1966 Pathology Residency, Washington University, 1966-69 Pathology Fellowship, Washington University, 1969-71

Receptors for immunoglobulin Fc regions (FcR) are present on a variety of cells, where they have been shown to mediate a diversity of functions. For example, IgE FcR on mast cells are involved in anaphylactic degranulation of potent mediators; IgG FcR on macrophages and neutrophils function in phagocytosis, but on trophoblastic cells IgG FcR transports IgG from the maternal to fetal circulations. On lymphocytes families of genes encode multiple molecular forms of FcR which are involved in lymphocyte activation, antigen processing, T:B cell cytoconjugation, and regulation of immunoglobulin gene expression. My laboratory is involved in projects that include molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence analysis of FcR gene products, regulation of FcR expression on lymphocytes, and functions of FcR on lymphocytes. We have discovered that the expression of FcR by lymphocytes is profoundly altered in diseases accompanied by immune deficiency, such as lymphoid tumors and certain parasite infections. We are investigating the mechanisms involved in these pathologic alterations and the relationship of the alterations to the immune deficiency.