Laboratory of Mucosal Immunity, Immune Tolerance, and Host-Microbe Interactions

Research Directions

Confocal Microscopy

RORγt+ Antigen Presenting Cells

Characterizing the discovery and biology of distinct RORγt+ APC subsets in intestinal and lymphoid tissues, and uncovering their non-redundant roles in instructing immune tolerance.

Multi-Channel IF

Innate & Adaptive Lymphocyte Biology

Investigating the regulation of group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) and regulatory T (Treg) cells along mucosal surfaces to maintain barrier integrity.

Spatial Profiling

Host-microbe interactions in gut inflammation

Dissecting how commensal microbial consortia and dietary antigens communicate with the immune system to maintain metabolic homeostasis and modulate chronic inflammatory pathways.

Human Biobanking

Translational Human Mucosal Immunology

Translating preclinical discoveries to patient cohorts and biobanking to identify novel therapeutic targets for IBD, cancer, and systemic inflammation.

People

Dr. Gregory F. Sonnenberg, Ph.D.

Eli and Edythe L. Broad Foundation Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research

Director, UCLA Center for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine

Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases

David Geffen School of Medicine

University of California Los Angeles

Interrogating cellular and molecular networks regulating mucosal immunity, tolerance, and host-microbiota interactions in the gastrointestinal tract.

Google Scholar • Contact Lab

Anees Ahmed, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Mucosal immunology & neuro-immune interactions

Veronika Horn, M.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Innate immune regulation of gut inflammation

Jordan Zhou, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Molecular immunology & immune tolerance

Lan Kang, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Mucosal immunology & cytokine biology

Myeong Joon Kim, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Mucosal immunology & host-microbiota crosstalk

Samantha Jensen, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Host-microbe interactions at mucosal surfaces

Ching-Lan Lu, M.D.

Visiting GI Fellow

Translational mucosal immunology

Joseph Gladstone

Ph.D. Candidate

Host-microbe interactions & tumor immunology

Sophia Qu

Ph.D. Candidate

Gut microbiota & mucosal immunology

Adriana Brcic-Susak

Research Specialist & Lab Manager

Laboratory operations & research specialization

Dario Garone

Research Technician II

Preclinical models & experimental genetics

Lab Alumni

Our former postdocs, graduate students, and technicians continuing discoveries across academic faculty and industry leadership roles worldwide.

Matthew Hepworth, Ph.D.

Professor

University of Manchester

Nicholas Bessman, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Rutgers University

Jeremy Goc, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Sorbonne University

Lei Zhou, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Shanghai Immune Therapy Institute

Mengze Lyu, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Rutgers University

Wenqing Zhou, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

University of Massachusetts

Fei Teng, Ph.D.

Head of Research

Immfinity Biotechnologies

Thomas Fung, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist & Project Lead

Nurix Therapeutics

Ann Joseph, Ph.D.

Associate Principal Scientist

Immunai

John Benji Grigg, Ph.D.

Clinical Scientist

Regeneron

Brooke Towers

Ph.D. Graduate / Postdoc

Alumni

Lexi Tempera

NIH-PREP Scholar / Alumni

Alumni

Publications

Immunity

Science Immunology

Trends in Immunology

Nature Medicine

• Fibroblasts restrain gut inflammation by IGF1-dependent regulation of innate lymphocytes.
  Lin Q, Liu RE, Wang Q, Kang L, Chen B, Lu Y, Zhang Y, Gu Z, Zhou Y, Liu H, Xu X, Cao Z, Tang Z, Xu W, Wang Y, Cui Z, Yu M, Jin S, Zhang Q, Liu C, Tang H, Hu X, Sonnenberg GF*, Chu C*, Zhou L*. Science. 2026 Sep 24;393(6818):1347-1353. (*co-corresponding author)
  [DOI: 10.1126/science.aei0062] [PMID: 42784669]
• B7 costimulation antagonizes RORγt+ regulatory T cells and immune tolerance in the intestine.
  Lyu M, Sonnenberg GF. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2026 Jun 1;223(6):e20251094.
  [DOI: 10.1084/jem.20251094] [PMID: 42030099]
• RORγt+ APCs require a distinct cis-regulatory element to instruct tolerance to dietary antigens.
  Zhao J, Hao J, Chen J, Lyu M, Liu H, Li N, Song P, Wang W, Chu C, Sonnenberg GF, Guo X. Nature Communications. 2026 Feb 21.
  [DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-69886-z] [PMID: 41723158]
• Interleukin-23 biology linking mucosal immunity to autoimmune diseases and cancer.
  Ahmed A, Sonnenberg GF. Trends in Immunology. 2026 Jan 3:S1471-4906(25)00313-8.
  [DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2025.12.005] [PMID: 41483965]
• Microniche control of innate lymphocyte biology in the gut.
  Towers BE, Sonnenberg GF. International Immunology. 2025 Nov 18:dxaf071.
  [DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxaf071] [PMID: 41250890]
• Altered Gut Microbiota in Pediatric Quiescent Crohn's Disease Patients with Iron Deficiency Anemia.
  Gordon ES, Goc J, Grier A, Thomas C, JRI Live Cell Bank, Lentine J, Sockolow RE, Sonnenberg GF. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 2025 Dec 22:izaf295.
  [DOI: 10.1093/ibd/izaf295] [PMID: 41423811]
• ILC3s sense gut microbiota through STING to initiate immune tolerance.
  Zhou W, Zhou JZ, Ahmed A, Kim MJ; JRI Live Cell Bank; Guo CJ, Sonnenberg GF. Immunity. 2025 Jul 8;58(7):1762-1777.e7.
  [DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2025.05.016] [PMID: 40527323]
• CTLA-4 expressing ILC3s restrain interleukin-23-mediated inflammation.
  Ahmed A, Joseph AM, Zhou J, Horn V, Uddin J, Lyu M, Goc J, JRI Live Cell Bank, Sockolow RE, Wing JB, Vivier E, Sakaguchi S, Sonnenberg GF. Nature. 2024.
  [Nature Link]
• RIPK3 and caspase-8 interpret cytokine signals to regulate ILC3 survival in the gut.
  Joseph AM, Ahmed A, Goc J, Horn V, Fiedler B, Garone D, Grigg JB, Uddin J, Teng F, Fritsch M, Vivier E, Sonnenberg GF. Mucosal Immunology. 2024 Aug 11:S1933-0219(24)00085-0.
  [DOI: 10.1016/j.mucimm.2024.08.004] [PMID: 39137882]
• Group 3 innate lymphoid cells in intestinal health and disease.
  Horn V, Sonnenberg GF. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2024.
  [Nature Link]
• The emerging family of RORγt+ antigen-presenting cells.
  Abramson J, Dobeš J, Lyu M, Sonnenberg GF. Nature Reviews Immunology. 2023 Jul 21.
  [DOI: 10.1038/s41577-023-00906-5] [PMID: 37479834]
• ILC3s select microbiota-specific regulatory T cells to establish tolerance in the gut.
  Lyu M, Suzuki H, Kang L, Gaspal F, Zhou W, Goc J, Zhou L, Zhou J, Zhang W, JRI Live Cell Bank, Shen Z, Fox JG, Sockolow RE, Laufer TM, Fan Y, Eberl G, Withers DR, Sonnenberg GF. Nature. 2022.
  [Nature Link]
• ZBTB46 defines and regulates ILC3s that protect the intestine.
  Zhou W, Zhou L, Zhou J; JRI Live Cell Bank, Chu C, Zhang C, Sockolow RE, Eberl G, Sonnenberg GF. Nature. 2022 Jul 13.
  [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04934-4] [PMID: 35831503]
• Coordination of Mucosal Immunity by Innate Lymphoid Cells.
  Zhou JZ, Sonnenberg GF. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2022;1365:113-134.
  [DOI: 10.1007/978-981-16-8387-9_8] [PMID: 35567744]
• Group 3 innate lymphoid cells produce the growth factor HB-EGF to protect the intestine from TNF-mediated inflammation.
  Zhou L, Zhou W, Joseph AM, Chu C, Putzel GG, Fang B, Teng F, Lyu M, Yano H, Andreasson KI, Mekada E, Eberl G, Sonnenberg GF. Nature Immunology. 2022 Jan 31.
  [DOI: 10.1038/s41590-021-01110-0] [PMID: 35102343]
• Antigen presenting innate lymphoid cells orchestrate neuroinflammation.
  Grigg JB, Shanmugavadiv A, Regen T, Parkhurt CN, Ahmed A, Joseph AM, Mazzucco M, Gronke K, Diegenbach A, Eberl G, Vartanian T, Waisman A, Sonnenberg GF. Nature. 2021 Dec;600(7890):707-712.
  [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04136-4] [PMID: 34853467]
• ILC3s control airway inflammation by limiting T cell responses to allergens and microbes.
  Teng F, Tachó-Piñot R, Sung B, Farber DL, Worgall S, Hammad H, Lambrecht BN, Hepworth MR, Sonnenberg GF. Cell Reports. 2021 Nov 23;37(8):110051.
  [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110051] [PMID: 34818549]
• Dysregulation of ILC3s unleashes progression and immunotherapy resistance in colon cancer.
  Goc J, Lyu M, Bessman NJ, Flamar A, Sahota S, Suzuki H, Teng F, Putzel GG, JRI Live Cell Bank, Eberl G, Withers DR, Arthur JC, Shah MA, Sonnenberg GF. Cell. 2021 Sep 16;184(19):5015-5030.e16.
  [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.029] [PMID: 34407392]
• Dendritic cell-derived hepcidin sequesters iron from the microbiota to promote mucosal healing.
  Bessman NJ, Mathieu JRR, Renassia C, Zhou L, Fung TC, Fernandez KC, Austin C, Moeller JB, Zumerle S, Louis S, Vaulont S, Ajami NJ, Sokol H, Putzel GG, Arvedson T, Sockolow RE, Lakhal-Littleton S, Cloonan SM, Arora M, Peyssonnaux C, Sonnenberg GF. Science. 2020 Apr 10;368(6487):186-189.
  [DOI: 10.1126/science.aau6481] [PMID: 32273468]
• A circadian clock is essential for homeostasis of group 3 innate lymphoid cells in the gut.
  Teng F, Goc J, Zhou L, Chu C, Shah MA, Eberl G, Sonnenberg GF. Science Immunology. 2019 Oct 4;4(40):eaax1215.
  [DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aax1215] [PMID: 31586011]
• Functional interactions between innate lymphoid cells and adaptive immunity.
  Sonnenberg GF, Hepworth MR. Nature Reviews Immunology. 2019 Jul 26.
  [DOI: 10.1038/s41577-019-0194-8] [PMID: 31350531]
• Innate lymphoid cells support regulatory T cells in the intestine through interleukin-2.
  Zhou L, Chu C, Teng F, Bessman NJ, Goc J, Santosa EK, Putzel GG, Kabata H, Kelsen JR, Baldassano RN, Shah MA, Sockolow RE, Vivier E, Eberl G, Smith KA, Sonnenberg GF. Nature. 2019 Apr;568(7752):405-409.
  [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1082-x] [PMID: 30944470]
• Metabolic regulation of innate and adaptive lymphocyte effector responses.
  Joseph AM, Monticelli LA, Sonnenberg GF. Immunological Reviews. 2018 Nov;286(1):137-147.
  [DOI: 10.1111/imr.12703] [PMID: 30294971]
• Essential immunologic orchestrators of intestinal homeostasis.
  Zhou L, Sonnenberg GF. Science Immunology. 2018 Feb 9;3(20):eaao1605.
  [DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aao1605] [PMID: 29440266]
• Host-Microbiota Interactions Shape Local and Systemic Inflammatory Diseases.
  Grigg JB, Sonnenberg GF. Journal of Immunology. 2017 Jan 15;198(2):564-571.
  [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1601621] [PMID: 28069751]
• Lymphoid-Tissue-Resident Commensal Bacteria Promote Members of the IL-10 Cytokine Family to Establish Mutualism.
  Fung TC, Bessman NJ, Hepworth MR, Kumar N, Shibata N, Kobuley D, Wang K, Ziegler CGK, Goc J, Shima T, Umesaki Y, Sartor RB, Sullivan KV, Lawley TD, Kunisawa J, Kiyono H, Sonnenberg GF. Immunity. 2016 Mar 15;44(3):634-646.
  [DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.02.019] [PMID: 26982365]
• Transient inhibition of ROR-γt therapeutically limits intestinal inflammation by reducing TH17 cells and preserving group 3 innate lymphoid cells.
  Withers DR, Hepworth MR, Wang X, Mackley EC, Halford EE, Dutton EE, Marriott CL, Brucklacher-Waldert V, Veldhoen M, Kelsen J, Baldassano RN, Sonnenberg GF. Nature Medicine. 2016 Mar;22(3):319-23.
  [DOI: 10.1038/nm.4046] [PMID: 26878233]
• Group 3 innate lymphoid cells: regulating host-commensal bacteria interactions in inflammation and cancer.
  Goc J, Hepworth MR, Sonnenberg GF. International Immunology. 2016 Jan;28(1):43-52.
  [DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxv056] [PMID: 26451009]
• Maintaining intestinal health: the genetics and immunology of very early onset inflammatory bowel disease.
  Kelsen JR, Baldassano RN, Artis D, Sonnenberg GF. Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2015 Sep 1;1(5):462-476.
  [PMID: 26393237]
• Innate lymphoid cells in the initiation, regulation and resolution of inflammation.
  Sonnenberg GF, Artis D. Nature Medicine. 2015 Jul;21(7):698-708.
  [DOI: 10.1038/nm.3892] [PMID: 26121198]
• Group 3 innate lymphoid cells mediate intestinal selection of commensal bacteria-specific CD4⁺ T cells.
  Hepworth MR, Fung TC, Masur SH, Kelsen JR, McConnell FM, Dubrot J, Withers DR, Hugues S, Farrar MA, Reith W, Eberl G, Baldassano RN, Laufer TM, Elson CO, Sonnenberg GF. Science. 2015 May 29;348(6238):1031-5.
  [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa4812] [PMID: 25908663]
• Anatomical localization of commensal bacteria in immune cell homeostasis and disease.
  Fung TC, Artis D, Sonnenberg GF. Immunological Reviews. 2014 Jul;260(1):35-49.
  [DOI: 10.1111/imr.12186] [PMID: 24942680]
• Regulation of intestinal health and disease by innate lymphoid cells.
  Sonnenberg GF. International Immunology. 2014 Sep;26(9):501-7.
  [DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxu052] [PMID: 24821261]
• Regulation of the adaptive immune system by innate lymphoid cells.
  Hepworth MR, Sonnenberg GF. Current Opinion in Immunology. 2014 Apr;27:75-82.
  [DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2014.01.013] [PMID: 24594491]
• Innate lymphoid cells regulate CD4+ T-cell responses to intestinal commensal bacteria.
  Hepworth MR, Monticelli LA, Fung TC, Ziegler CG, Grunberg S, Sinha R, Mantegazza AR, Ma HL, Crawford A, Angelosanto JM, Wherry EJ, Koni PA, Bushman FD, Elson CO, Eberl G, Artis D, Sonnenberg GF. Nature. 2013 Jun 6;498(7452):113-7.
  [DOI: 10.1038/nature12240] [PMID: 23698371]
• Innate lymphoid cell interactions with microbiota: implications for intestinal health and disease.
  Sonnenberg GF, Artis D. Immunity. 2012 Oct 19;37(4):601-10.
  [DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2012.10.003] [PMID: 23084357]
• Innate lymphoid cells promote anatomical containment of lymphoid-resident commensal bacteria.
  Sonnenberg GF, Monticelli LA, Alenghat T, Fung TC, Hutnick NA, Kunisawa J, Shibata N, Grunberg S, Sinha R, Zahm AM, Tardif MR, Sathaliyawala T, Kubota M, Farber DL, Collman RG, Shaked A, Fouser LA, Weiner DB, Tessier PA, Friedman JR, Kiyono H, Bushman FD, Chang KM, Artis D. Science. 2012 Jun 8;336(6086):1321-5.
  [DOI: 10.1126/science.1222551] [PMID: 22674331]

Press & Media Highlights

News, award recognitions, and press features on the laboratory's discoveries in mucosal immunology, gut tolerance, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Lab Life & Celebrations

At the Bench The Sonnenberg Research Group working in the laboratory suites.

AAI-BD Biosciences Investigator Award Dr. Sonnenberg honored for contributions to mucosal immunology.

Doctoral Milestones Celebrating Ph.D. defenses and academic commencement.

Sharing Discoveries Presenting single-cell RNA sequencing data at international symposia.

Annual Lab Portrait The Sonnenberg Research Group assembled in the research courtyard.

Lab Dinners & Evenings Out Gathering together to celebrate paper acceptances and lab milestones.

Sunset on the Harbor Lab celebration cruise overlooking the lower Manhattan skyline.

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