Joseph Linton Roberts | Scholars@Duke

Joseph Linton Roberts
Professor of Pediatrics

My overall research interests are studying T cell development and defining the molecular bases of inherited immunodeficiency diseases. We are using standard candidate gene analysis approaches as well as new high throughput genome-wide sequencing, bioinformatics and functional screening in zebrafish and murine models in our work. Using these strategies we have recently reported a new molecular etiology of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), CD3 zeta chain deficiency. In collaboration with Dr. Wesley Burks we are also examining changes in T cell transcription patterns following treatment for peanut allergy using genome wide oligonucleotide microarrays.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics 2017

Contact Information

Box 2898 Med Ctr, Durham, NC 27710
Room 101B MSRB1, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
rober060@mc.duke.edu (919) 684-6534

Background
Education, Training, & Certifications
- Research Associate, Immunology, Duke University 1994 - 1996
- Fellow, Experimental Immunology Branch, Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health 1988 - 1994
- Ph.D., Duke University 1992
- Fellow, Pediatric Allergy/Immunology, Pediatrics, Duke University 1984 - 1988
- Internship/Residency, Pediatrics, Yale University 1981 - 1984
- M.D., Emory University 1981
Duke Appointment History
- Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics 2010 - 2017
- Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics 2006 - 2010
- Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics 2005 - 2006
- Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics 1997 - 2005
Research
Selected Grants
- Sublingual Immunotherapy for Peanut Allergy awarded by National Institutes of Health 2008 - 2013
- CTSA UL awarded by National Institutes of Health 2006 - 2012
- Identification of Disease-Causing Mutations in SCID Using Exome-Wide Sequencing awarded by National Institutes of Health 2009 - 2012
- Understanding the Mechanism of Mucosal Immunotherapy awarded by National Institutes of Health 2007 - 2012
- Development And Persistence Of Immunity In SCID Chimeras awarded by National Institutes of Health 1998 - 2010
- Structure-Function Analysis of JAK3 in Human SCID awarded by National Institutes of Health 1997 - 2002
- Research Training In Allergy And Clinical Immunology awarded by National Institutes of Health 1907 - 1999
- Immune Cell Cooperation In Human Haploidentical Chimeras awarded by National Institutes of Health 1990 - 1991
Publications & Artistic Works
Selected Publications
- Journal Articles
  - Petrovski, S, Parrott, RE, Roberts, JL, Huang, H, Yang, J, Gorentla, B, Mousallem, T, Wang, E, Armstrong, M, McHale, D, MacIver, NJ, Goldstein, DB, Zhong, X-P, and Buckley, RH. "Dominant Splice Site Mutations in PIK3R1 Cause Hyper IgM Syndrome, Lymphadenopathy and Short Stature." Journal of clinical immunology 36, no. 5 (July 2016): 462-471. Full Text Open Access Copy
  - Mousallem, T, Urban, TJ, McSweeney, KM, Kleinstein, SE, Zhu, M, Adeli, M, Parrott, RE, Roberts, JL, Krueger, B, Buckley, RH, and Goldstein, DB. "Clinical application of whole-genome sequencing in patients with primary immunodeficiency." The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology 136, no. 2 (August 2015): 476-9.e6. (Letter) Full Text
  - Mousallem, T, Yang, J, Urban, TJ, Wang, H, Adeli, M, Parrott, RE, Roberts, JL, Goldstein, DB, Buckley, RH, and Zhong, X-P. "A nonsense mutation in IKBKB causes combined immunodeficiency." Blood 124, no. 13 (September 2014): 2046-2050. Full Text
  - Roberts, JL, Buckley, RH, Luo, B, Pei, J, Lapidus, A, Peri, S, Wei, Q, Shin, J, Parrott, RE, Dunbrack, RL, Testa, JR, Zhong, X-P, and Wiest, DL. "CD45-deficient severe combined immunodeficiency caused by uniparental disomy." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109, no. 26 (June 26, 2012): 10456-10461. Full Text Link to Item
  - Tracy, ET, Haas, KM, Gentry, T, Danko, M, Roberts, JL, Kurtzberg, J, and Rice, HE. "Partial splenectomy but not total splenectomy preserves immunoglobulin M memory B cells in mice." J Pediatr Surg 46, no. 9 (September 2011): 1706-1710. Full Text Link to Item
  - Yu, GP, Nadeau, KC, Berk, DR, Basile, GDS, Lambert, N, Knapnougel, P, Roberts, J, Kavanau, K, Dunn, E, Stiehm, ER, Lewis, DB, Umetsu, DT, Puck, JM, and Cowan, MJ. "Genotype, phenotype, and outcomes of nine patients with T-B+NK+ SCID." Pediatric Transplantation 15, no. 7 (2011): 733-741. Full Text
  - Sarzotti-Kelsoe, M, Win, CM, Parrott, RE, Cooney, M, Moser, BK, Roberts, JL, Sempowski, GD, and Buckley, RH. "Thymic output, T-cell diversity, and T-cell function in long-term human SCID chimeras." Blood 114, no. 7 (August 13, 2009): 1445-1453. Full Text Link to Item
  - Jones, SM, Pons, L, Roberts, JL, Scurlock, AM, Perry, TT, Kulis, M, Shreffler, WG, Steele, P, Henry, KA, Adair, M, Francis, JM, Durham, S, Vickery, BP, Zhong, X, and Burks, AW. "Clinical efficacy and immune regulation with peanut oral immunotherapy." J Allergy Clin Immunol 124, no. 2 (August 2009): 292-300.97. Full Text Link to Item
  - Blanco, BD, Roberts, JL, Zamarreño, N, Balmelle-Devaux, N, and Hernández-Munain, C. "Flexible stereospecific interactions and composition within nucleoprotein complexes assembled on the TCRα gene enhancer." Journal of Immunology 183, no. 3 (2009): 1871-1883. Full Text
  - Palmer, K, Green, TD, Roberts, JL, Sajaroff, E, Cooney, M, Parrott, R, Chen, D-F, Reinsmoen, NL, and Buckley, RH. "Unusual clinical and immunologic manifestations of transplacentally acquired maternal T cells in severe combined immunodeficiency." J Allergy Clin Immunol 120, no. 2 (August 2007): 423-428. Full Text Link to Item
  - Roberts, JL, Lauritsen, JPH, Cooney, M, Parrott, RE, Sajaroff, EO, Win, CM, Keller, MD, Carpenter, JH, Carabana, J, Krangel, MS, Sarzotti, M, Zhong, X-P, Wiest, DL, and Buckley, RH. "T-B+NK+ severe combined immunodeficiency caused by complete deficiency of the CD3zeta subunit of the T-cell antigen receptor complex." Blood 109, no. 8 (April 15, 2007): 3198-3206. Full Text Link to Item
  - Ponda, P, Schuval, SJ, Kaplan, B, Logalbo, P, Roberts, JL, and Bonagura, VR. "Interleukin 7 receptor α-chain-mutation severe combined immunodeficiency without lymphopenia: Correction with haploidentical T-cell-depleted bone marrow transplantation." Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 97, no. 6 (2006): 755-758.
  - O'Shea, JJ, Husa, M, Li, D, Hofmann, SR, Watford, W, Roberts, JL, Buckley, RH, Changelian, P, and Candotti, F. "Jak3 and the pathogenesis of severe combined immunodeficiency." Mol Immunol 41, no. 6-7 (July 2004): 727-737. (Review) Full Text Link to Item
  - Roberts, JL, Lengi, A, Brown, SM, Chen, M, Zhou, Y-J, O'Shea, JJ, and Buckley, RH. "Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) deficiency: clinical, immunologic, and molecular analyses of 10 patients and outcomes of stem cell transplantation." Blood 103, no. 6 (March 15, 2004): 2009-2018. Full Text Link to Item
  - Zhou, YJ, Chen, M, Cusack, NA, Kimmel, LH, Magnuson, KS, Boyd, JG, Lin, W, Roberts, JL, Lengi, A, Buckley, RH, Geahlen, RL, Candotti, F, Gadina, M, Changelian, PS, and O'Shea, JJ. "Unexpected effects of FERM domain mutations on catalytic activity of Jak3: structural implication for Janus kinases." Mol Cell 8, no. 5 (November 2001): 959-969. Link to Item
  - Buckley, RH, Schiff, SE, Schiff, RI, Markert, L, Williams, LW, Roberts, JL, Myers, LA, and Ward, FE. "Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation for the treatment of severe combined immunodeficiency." N Engl J Med 340, no. 7 (February 18, 1999): 508-516. Full Text Link to Item
  - Jabara, HH, Buckley, RH, Roberts, JL, Lefranc, G, Loiselet, J, Khalil, G, and Geha, RS. "Role of JAK3 in CD40-mediated signaling." Blood 92, no. 7 (October 1, 1998): 2435-2440. Link to Item
  - Krangel, MS, Hernandez-Munain, C, Lauzurica, P, McMurry, M, Roberts, JL, and Zhong, XP. "Developmental regulation of V(D)J recombination at the TCR alpha/delta locus." Immunol Rev 165 (October 1998): 131-147. (Review) Link to Item
  - Hernandez-Munain, C, Roberts, JL, and Krangel, MS. "Cooperation among multiple transcription factors is required for access to minimal T-cell receptor alpha-enhancer chromatin in vivo." Mol Cell Biol 18, no. 6 (June 1998): 3223-3233. Link to Item
  - Jabara, HH, Buckley, RH, Roberts, JL, Lefranc, G, Loiselet, J, Khalil, G, and Geha, RS. "Role of JAK3 in CD40 mediated signaling." FASEB Journal 12, no. 5 (1998): A923-.
  - Lauzurica, P, Zhong, XP, Krangel, MS, and Roberts, JL. "Regulation of T cell receptor delta gene rearrangement by CBF/PEBP2." J Exp Med 185, no. 7 (April 7, 1997): 1193-1201. Link to Item
  - Buckley, RH, Schiff, RI, Schiff, SE, Markert, ML, Williams, LW, Harville, TO, Roberts, JL, and Puck, JM. "Human severe combined immunodeficiency: genetic, phenotypic, and functional diversity in one hundred eight infants." J Pediatr 130, no. 3 (March 1997): 378-387. Link to Item
  - Roberts, JL, Lauzurica, P, and Krangel, MS. "Developmental regulation of VDJ recombination by the core fragment of the T cell receptor alpha enhancer." J Exp Med 185, no. 1 (January 6, 1997): 131-140. Link to Item
  - Russell, SM, Tayebi, N, Nakajima, H, Riedy, MC, Roberts, JL, Aman, MJ, Migone, TS, Noguchi, M, Markert, ML, Buckley, RH, O'Shea, JJ, and Leonard, WJ. "Mutation of Jak3 in a patient with SCID: essential role of Jak3 in lymphoid development." Science 270, no. 5237 (November 3, 1995): 797-800. Link to Item
  - Kearse, KP, Roberts, JL, and Singer, A. "TCR alpha-CD3 delta epsilon association is the initial step in alpha beta dimer formation in murine T cells and is limiting in immature CD4+ CD8+ thymocytes." Immunity 2, no. 4 (April 1995): 391-399. Link to Item
  - Roberts, JL, Sharrow, SO, and Singer, A. "Disruption of intrathymic CD4-Ia interactions on immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes results in diminished TCR expression on mature CD8+ T cell progeny." Cell Immunol 161, no. 1 (March 1995): 22-27. Link to Item
  - Keanse, KP, Roberts, JL, and Singer, A. "TCRα-CD3δε{lunate} association is the initial step in αβ dimer formation in murine T cells and is limiting in immature CD4⁺CD8⁺ thymocytes." Immunity 2, no. 4 (1995): 391-399.
  - Kearse, KP, Roberts, JP, Wiest, DL, and Singer, A. "Developmental regulation of αβ T cell antigen receptor assembly in immature CD4⁺CD8⁺ thymocytes." BioEssays 17, no. 12 (1995): 1049-1054.
  - Kearse, KP, Roberts, JL, Munitz, TI, Wiest, DL, Nakayama, T, and Singer, A. "Developmental regulation of alpha beta T cell antigen receptor expression results from differential stability of nascent TCR alpha proteins within the endoplasmic reticulum of immature and mature T cells." EMBO J 13, no. 19 (October 3, 1994): 4504-4514. Link to Item
  - Punt, JA, Roberts, JL, Kearse, KP, and Singer, A. "Stoichiometry of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) complex: each TCR/CD3 complex contains one TCR alpha, one TCR beta, and two CD3 epsilon chains." J Exp Med 180, no. 2 (August 1, 1994): 587-593. Link to Item
  - Buckley, RH, Schiff, SE, Schiff, RI, Roberts, JL, Markert, ML, Peters, W, Williams, LW, and Ward, FE. "Haploidentical bone marrow stem cell transplantation in human severe combined immunodeficiency." Semin Hematol 30, no. 4 Suppl 4 (October 1993): 92-101. (Review) Link to Item
  - Abe, R, Kozak, CA, Foo-Phillips, M, Roberts, J, and Principato, MAC. "Involvement of Multiple Factors in the Clonal Deletion of Self-Reactive T Cells." Cellular Immunology 151, no. 2 (1993): 425-436. Full Text
  - Buckley, RH, Schiff, SE, Schiff, RI, Roberts, JL, Markert, ML, Peters, W, Williams, LW, Ward, FE, Ballow, , Boxer, , Strober, , McGhee, , Schwartz, , Nelson, , Puck, , Ochs, , Parkman, , and Deeg, . "Haploidentical bone marrow stem cell transplantation in human severe combined immunodeficiency." Seminars in Hematology 30, no. 4 SUPPL. 4 (1993): 92-104.
  - Roberts, JL, Abe, R, Shores, EW, and Singer, A. "Expression of Mls determinants in mice exhibiting the severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) mutation or X-linked immunodeficiency (xid) defect." J Immunol 149, no. 5 (September 1, 1992): 1577-1582. Link to Item
  - Roberts, JL, Sharrow, SO, and Singer, A. "Clonal deletion and clonal anergy in the thymus induced by cellular elements with different radiation sensitivities." Journal of Experimental Medicine 171, no. 3 (1990): 935-940.
  - Roberts, JL, Volkman, DJ, and Buckley, RH. "Modified MHC restriction of donor-origin T cells in humans with severe combined immunodeficiency transplanted with haploidentical bone marrow stem cells." J Immunol 143, no. 5 (September 1, 1989): 1575-1579. Link to Item
Teaching & Mentoring
Recent Courses
- PEDS 433C: Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2018

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Education, Training, & Certifications

Duke Appointment History

Selected Grants

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

Recent Courses