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

Featured Works

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 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