Scholars@Duke
Sophia Dorcheva Sarafova

Sophia Dorcheva Sarafova

Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Immunology
Integrative Immunobiology
sophia.sarafova@duke.edu
Immunology, Box 3010, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications

Verification of the T-cell developmental stage at which RLM11 and AKR1G1 thymoma cell lines are arrested 9062

Conference The Journal of Immunology · November 1, 2025 Abstract Description A variety of cell lines are used routinely for in vitro studies as fair representation of developmental st ... Full text Cite

A conserved element in the first intron of Cd4 has a lineage specific, TCR signal-responsive, canonical enhancer function that matches the timing of cell surface CD4 upregulation required to prevent lineage choice error.

Journal Article Front Immunol · 2024 INTRODUCTION: The regulation of Cd4 expression during T-cell development and immune responses is essential for proper lineage commitment and function in the periphery. However, the mechanisms of genetic and epigenetic regulation are complex, and their inte ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Sequence-Defined Heteromultivalent Precision Glycomacromolecules Bearing Sulfonated/Sulfated Nonglycosidic Moieties Preferentially Bind Galectin-3 and Delay Wound Healing of a Galectin-3 Positive Tumor Cell Line in an In Vitro Wound Scratch Assay.

Journal Article Macromol Biosci · September 2020 Within this work, a new class of sequence-defined heteromultivalent glycomacromolecules bearing lactose residues and nonglycosidic motifs for probing glycoconjugate recognition in carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) of galectin-3 is presented. Galectins, ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Contribution of the Microbiome to Maintenance of the CD4:CD8 Ratio in Inbred and Congenic Mouse Strains

Conference The Journal of Immunology · May 1, 2020 AbstractThe gut microbiome is known to play an integral role in the regulation of the immune system. Previous studies indicate that species diversity and overall abundance of commensal bacteria in the gut in ... Full text Cite

Deletion of the highly conserved functional region of the Cd4 enhancer NCE in RLM11 cells using CRISPR/Cas9 reduces CD4 expression

Conference The Journal of Immunology · May 1, 2018 AbstractThe glycoprotein cell surface marker CD4 is a key mediator in the adaptive immune response and T-cell development. Signaled CD4+ CD8+ double positive cells (DP) upregulate CD4 on the cell surface, al ... Full text Cite

Identification of a novel, developmental-stage-specific enhancer in the Cd4 gene (P4442)

Conference The Journal of Immunology · May 1, 2013 AbstractCD4 helper T cells coordinate the immune response and are highly dependent on the expression of the Cd4 gene for proper development and function. The function of a promoter, proximal enhancer, and a ... Full text Cite

Upregulation of CD4 expression during MHC class II-specific positive selection is essential for error-free lineage choice.

Journal Article Immunity · September 18, 2009 Featured Publication The lineage fate of developing thymocytes is determined by the persistence or cessation of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling during positive selection, with persistent TCR signaling required for CD4 lineage choice. We show here that transcriptional upregulat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Targeting CD4 coreceptor expression to postselection thymocytes reveals that CD4/CD8 lineage choice is neither error-prone nor stochastic.

Journal Article J Immunol · November 15, 2008 Featured Publication The mechanism by which CD4/CD8 lineage choice is coordinated with TCR specificity during positive selection remains an unresolved problem in immunology. The stochastic/selection model proposes that CD4/CD8 lineage choice in TCR-signaled CD4(+)CD8(+) thymoc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Deletion of CD4 and CD8 coreceptors permits generation of alphabetaT cells that recognize antigens independently of the MHC.

Journal Article Immunity · November 2007 Featured Publication The thymus generates major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted alphabetaT cells that only recognize antigenic ligands in association with MHC or MHC-like molecules. We hypothesized that MHC specificity might be imposed on a broader alphabetaTCR rep ... Full text Link to item Cite

'Coreceptor tuning': cytokine signals transcriptionally tailor CD8 coreceptor expression to the self-specificity of the TCR.

Journal Article Nat Immunol · October 2007 T cell immunity requires the long-term survival of T cells that are capable of recognizing self antigens but are not overtly autoreactive. How this balance is achieved remains incompletely understood. Here we identify a homeostatic mechanism that transcrip ... Full text Link to item Cite

Coreceptor signal strength regulates positive selection but does not determine CD4/CD8 lineage choice in a physiologic in vivo model.

Journal Article J Immunol · November 15, 2006 Featured Publication TCR signals drive thymocyte development, but it remains controversial what impact, if any, the intensity of those signals have on T cell differentiation in the thymus. In this study, we assess the impact of CD8 coreceptor signal strength on positive select ... Full text Link to item Cite

Modulation of coreceptor transcription during positive selection dictates lineage fate independently of TCR/coreceptor specificity.

Journal Article Immunity · July 2005 Featured Publication For developing T cells, coreceptor choice is matched to T cell antigen receptor (TCR) MHC specificity during positive selection in the thymus, but the mechanism remains uncertain. Here, we document that TCR-mediated positive selection signals inactivate th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Negative regulation of CD4 gene expression by a HES-1-c-Myb complex.

Journal Article Mol Cell Biol · May 2001 Expression of the CD4 gene is tightly controlled throughout thymopoiesis. The downregulation of CD4 gene expression in CD4(-) CD8(-) and CD4(-) CD8(+) T lymphocytes is controlled by a transcriptional silencer located in the first intron of the CD4 locus. H ... Full text Link to item Cite

Precise arrangement of factor-binding sites is required for murine CD4 promoter function.

Journal Article Nucleic Acids Res · July 15, 2000 The control of CD4 expression is linked to the signaling events that mediate T-cell development and is directly dependent on the CD4 promoter. The CD4 promoter does not contain functionally redundant sites: all four factor-binding sites must be intact to a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Control of CD4 gene expression: connecting signals to outcomes in T cell development.

Journal Article Braz J Med Biol Res · July 1999 The control of CD4 gene expression is essential for proper T lymphocyte development. Signals transmitted from the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) during the thymic selection processes are believed to be linked to the regulation of CD4 gene expression during ... Full text Link to item Cite

A potential role for Elf-1 in CD4 promoter function.

Journal Article J Biol Chem · June 4, 1999 The control of CD4 gene expression is believed to be linked directly to the signaling events that mediate T cell development and is directly dependent on the CD4 promoter. We have previously determined that this promoter contains four factor-binding sites ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characterization of a Mutant Mouse Strain with Altered Peripheral CD4 T Cell Homeostasis

Conference The mechanisms regulating peripheral CD4+ T cell homeostasis are not completely understood. Previous research at Davidson College has identified a mutant strain of mice with an inverted CD4/CD8 ratio in peripheral lymphoid organs and blood. Furthermore, th ... Link to item Cite

Dysregulated T cell homeostasis in B10.A/Cr mice correlates with decreased T helper function

Conference The mechanisms regulating peripheral T cell homeostasis are not completely understood. During routine screening we discovered that the B10.A/Cr mouse strain in our facility has a reduced frequency of CD4 T cells in the periphery, resulting in a reduced and ... Link to item Cite

Role of APOBEC Family Proteins in Immunoglobulin Class Switch Recombination

Conference Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) functions in activated mammalian B cells to vary antibody effector function via deletion of immunoglobulin constant region DNA in the process of class switch recombination (CSR). AID deaminates cytidine to uridin ... Link to item Cite

Identification of a novel positive cis-control element in the Cd4 gene

Conference CD4 helper T cells coordinate the immune response and are highly dependent on the expression of the Cd4 gene for proper development and function. The function of a promoter, an enhancer and a silencer have been well documented and together explain how the ... Link to item Cite