Dawn C. Newcomb, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

dawn.newcomb@vanderbilt.edu
Faculty Appointments
Associate Professor of Medicine
Education
Ph.D., Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MichiganB.S., Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
Office Address
1227-B Medical Center North
1161 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37232
Research Description
The Newcomb lab's research is focused on mechanisms driving lung inflammation and asthma pathogenesis. Asthma is a chronic disease with many different phenotypes that disproportionately affects women, yet the mechanisms driving asthma pathogenesis remain unclear. Our lab's primary line of research determines how sex hormones regulate innate and adaptive immune mechanisms that lead to increased airway inflammation, mucus production, and airway hyperresponsiveness – the hallmarks of asthma. The lab also has projects focused on nasal airway epithelial cell responses to allergens and/or viral infections as well as the impact of obese and altered metabolism on airway inflammation in asthma. Combined, our research efforts will provide personalized therapeutic targets and mechanisms needed to treat patients (particularly women) with uncontrolled asthma.

This lab is unique in that we use asthma as a model system to study basic immunology and how sex hormones regulate T cells and cells in the innate immune system. Other diseases, including multiple sclerosis and lupus, also have a female predominance. Therefore, our findings may apply to a number of different diseases.
Research Keywords
estrogen, testosterone, sex hormones, T cells, innate lymphoid cells, asthma, allergy, immunology
Publications
Stier MT, Goleniewska K, Cephus JY, Newcomb DC, Sherrill TP, Boyd KL, Bloodworth MH, Moore ML, Chen K, Kolls JK, Peebles RS. STAT1 Represses Cytokine-Producing Group 2 and Group 3 Innate Lymphoid Cells during Viral Infection. J. Immunol [print-electronic]. 2017 Jul 7/15/2017; 199(2): 510-9. PMID: 28576981, PMCID: PMC5505788, PII: jimmunol.1601984, DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1601984, ISSN: 1550-6606.

Fuseini H, Newcomb DC. Mechanisms Driving Gender Differences in Asthma. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2017 Mar; 17(3): 19. PMID: 28332107, PII: 10.1007/s11882-017-0686-1, DOI: 10.1007/s11882-017-0686-1, ISSN: 1534-6315.

Zhou W, Zhang J, Goleniewska K, Dulek DE, Toki S, Newcomb DC, Cephus JY, Collins RD, Wu P, Boothby MR, Peebles RS. Prostaglandin I2 Suppresses Proinflammatory Chemokine Expression, CD4 T Cell Activation, and STAT6-Independent Allergic Lung Inflammation. J. Immunol [print-electronic]. 2016 Sep 9/1/2016; 197(5): 1577-86. PMID: 27456482, PMCID: PMC4992670, PII: jimmunol.1501063, DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1501063, ISSN: 1550-6606.

Banathy A, Cheung-Flynn J, Goleniewska K, Boyd KL, Newcomb DC, Peebles RS, Komalavilas P. Heat Shock-Related Protein 20 Peptide Decreases Human Airway Constriction Downstream of ß2-Adrenergic Receptor. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 2016 Aug; 55(2): 225-33. PMID: 26909644, PMCID: PMC4979360, DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2015-0139OC, ISSN: 1535-4989.

Toki S, Goleniewska K, Reiss S, Zhou W, Newcomb DC, Bloodworth MH, Stier MT, Boyd KL, Polosukhin VV, Subramaniam S, Peebles RS. The histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A suppresses murine innate allergic inflammation by blocking group 2 innate lymphoid cell (ILC2) activation. Thorax [print-electronic]. 2016 Jul; 71(7): 633-45. PMID: 27071418, PMCID: PMC4941189, PII: thoraxjnl-2015-207728, DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-207728, ISSN: 1468-3296.

Bloodworth MH, Newcomb DC, Dulek DE, Stier MT, Cephus JY, Zhang J, Goleniewska K, Kolls JK, Peebles RS. STAT6 Signaling Attenuates Interleukin-17-Producing ¿d T Cells during Acute Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection. Infect. Immun [electronic-print]. 2016 May; 84(5): 1548-55. PMID: 26953325, PMCID: PMC4862712, PII: IAI.00646-15, DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00646-15, ISSN: 1098-5522.

Stier MT, Bloodworth MH, Toki S, Newcomb DC, Goleniewska K, Boyd KL, Quitalig M, Hotard AL, Moore ML, Hartert TV, Zhou B, McKenzie AN, Peebles RS. Respiratory syncytial virus infection activates IL-13-producing group 2 innate lymphoid cells through thymic stromal lymphopoietin. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol [print-electronic]. 2016 Apr 4/9/2016; PMID: 27156176, PII: S0091-6749(16)30080-X, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2016.01.050, ISSN: 1097-6825.

Newcomb DC, Cephus JY, Boswell MG, Fahrenholz JM, Langley EW, Feldman AS, Zhou W, Dulek DE, Goleniewska K, Woodward KB, Sevin CM, Hamilton RG, Kolls JK, Peebles RS. Estrogen and progesterone decrease let-7f microRNA expression and increase IL-23/IL-23 receptor signaling and IL-17A production in patients with severe asthma. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol [print-electronic]. 2015 Oct; 136(4): 1025-1034.e11. PMID: 26242299, PMCID: PMC4600442, PII: S0091-6749(15)00840-4, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2015.05.046, ISSN: 1097-6825.

Zhou W, Toki S, Zhang J, Goleniewska K, Newcomb DC, Cephus JY, Dulek DE, Bloodworth MT, Stier MT, Polosuhkin V, Gangula RD, Mallal SA, Broide DH, Peebles RS. PGI2 Signaling Inhibits Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cell Responses. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med [print-electronic]. 2015 Sep 9/17/2015; PMID: 26378386, DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201410-1793OC, ISSN: 1535-4970.

Hotard AL, Lee S, Currier MG, Crowe JE, Sakamoto K, Newcomb DC, Peebles RS, Plemper RK, Moore ML. Identification of residues in the human respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein that modulate fusion activity and pathogenesis. J. Virol [print-electronic]. 2015 Jan; 89(1): 512-22. PMID: 25339762, PMCID: PMC4301159, PII: JVI.02472-14, DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02472-14, ISSN: 1098-5514.

Zhou W, Goleniewska K, Zhang J, Dulek DE, Toki S, Lotz MT, Newcomb DC, Boswell MG, Polosukhin VV, Milne GL, Wu P, Moore ML, FitzGerald GA, Peebles RS. Cyclooxygenase inhibition abrogates aeroallergen-induced immune tolerance by suppressing prostaglandin I2 receptor signaling. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol [print-electronic]. 2014 Sep; 134(3): 698-705.e5. PMID: 25042746, PMCID: PMC4358822, PII: S0091-6749(14)00806-9, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2014.06.004, ISSN: 1097-6825.

Dulek DE, Newcomb DC, Goleniewska K, Cephus J, Zhou W, Reiss S, Toki S, Ye F, Zaynagetdinov R, Sherrill TP, Blackwell TS, Moore ML, Boyd KL, Kolls JK, Peebles RS. Allergic airway inflammation decreases lung bacterial burden following acute Klebsiella pneumoniae infection in a neutrophil- and CCL8-dependent manner. Infect. Immun [print-electronic]. 2014 Sep; 82(9): 3723-39. PMID: 24958709, PMCID: PMC4187810, PII: IAI.00035-14, DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00035-14, ISSN: 1098-5522.

Dulek DE, Newcomb DC, Toki S, Goliniewska K, Cephus J, Reiss S, Bates JT, Crowe JE, Boyd KL, Moore ML, Zhou W, Peebles RS. STAT4 deficiency fails to induce lung Th2 or Th17 immunity following primary or secondary respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) challenge but enhances the lung RSV-specific CD8+ T cell immune response to secondary challenge. J. Virol [print-electronic]. 2014 Sep 9/1/2014; 88(17): 9655-72. PMID: 24920804, PMCID: PMC4136353, PII: JVI.03299-13, DOI: 10.1128/JVI.03299-13, ISSN: 1098-5514.

Zhou W, Goleniewska K, Zhang J, Dulek DE, Toki S, Lotz MT, Newcomb DC, Boswell MG, Polosukhin VV, Milne GL, Wu P, Moore ML, FitzGerald GA, Peebles RS. Cyclooxygenase inhibition abrogates aeroallergen-induced immune tolerance by suppressing prostaglandin I2 receptor signaling. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol [print-electronic]. 2014 Sep; 134(3): 698-705.e5. PMID: 25042746, PMCID: PMC4358822, PII: S0091-6749(14)00806-9, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2014.06.004, ISSN: 1097-6825.

Newcomb DC, Peebles RS. Th17-mediated inflammation in asthma. Curr. Opin. Immunol [print-electronic]. 2013 Dec; 25(6): 755-60. PMID: 24035139, PMCID: PMC3855890, PII: S0952-7915(13)00130-1, DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2013.08.002, ISSN: 1879-0372.

Sevin CM, Newcomb DC, Toki S, Han W, Sherrill TP, Boswell MG, Zhu Z, Collins RD, Boyd KL, Goleniewska K, Huckabee MM, Blackwell TS, Peebles RS. Deficiency of gp91phox inhibits allergic airway inflammation. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 2013 Sep; 49(3): 396-402. PMID: 23590311, PMCID: PMC3824054, DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2012-0442OC, ISSN: 1535-4989.

Newcomb DC, Boswell MG, Reiss S, Zhou W, Goleniewska K, Toki S, Harintho MT, Lukacs NW, Kolls JK, Peebles RS. IL-17A inhibits airway reactivity induced by respiratory syncytial virus infection during allergic airway inflammation. Thorax [print-electronic]. 2013 Aug; 68(8): 717-23. PMID: 23422214, PMCID: PMC3916091, PII: thoraxjnl-2012-202404, DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2012-202404, ISSN: 1468-3296.

Toki S, Goleniewska K, Huckabee MM, Zhou W, Newcomb DC, Fitzgerald GA, Lawson WE, Peebles RS. PGI2 signaling inhibits antigen uptake and increases migration of immature dendritic cells. J. Leukoc. Biol [print-electronic]. 2013 Jul; 94(1): 77-88. PMID: 23625201, PMCID: PMC3685021, PII: jlb.1112559, DOI: 10.1189/jlb.1112559, ISSN: 1938-3673.

Newcomb DC, Boswell MG, Sherrill TP, Polosukhin VV, Boyd KL, Goleniewska K, Brody SL, Kolls JK, Adler KB, Peebles RS. IL-17A induces signal transducers and activators of transcription-6-independent airway mucous cell metaplasia. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 2013 Jun; 48(6): 711-6. PMID: 23392574, PMCID: PMC3727878, PII: rcmb.2013-0017OC, DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2013-0017OC, ISSN: 1535-4989.

Newcomb DC, Boswell MG, Sherrill TP, Polosukhin VV, Boyd KL, Goleniewska K, Brody SL, Kolls JK, Adler KB, Peebles RS. IL-17A induces signal transducers and activators of transcription-6-independent airway mucous cell metaplasia. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol. 2013 Jun; 48(6): 711-6. PMID: 23392574, PMCID: PMC3727878, PII: rcmb.2013-0017OC, DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2013-0017OC, ISSN: 1535-4989.

Tanjore H, Degryse AL, Crossno PF, Xu XC, McConaha ME, Jones BR, Polosukhin VV, Bryant AJ, Cheng DS, Newcomb DC, McMahon FB, Gleaves LA, Blackwell TS, Lawson WE. ß-catenin in the alveolar epithelium protects from lung fibrosis after intratracheal bleomycin. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med [print-electronic]. 2013 Mar 3/15/2013; 187(6): 630-9. PMID: 23306543, PMCID: PMC3733436, PII: rccm.201205-0972OC, DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201205-0972OC, ISSN: 1535-4970.

Polosukhin VV, Degryse AL, Newcomb DC, Jones BR, Ware LB, Lee JW, Loyd JE, Blackwell TS, Lawson WE. Intratracheal bleomycin causes airway remodeling and airflow obstruction in mice. Exp. Lung Res. 2012 Apr; 38(3): 135-46. PMID: 22394287, PMCID: PMC4046254, DOI: 10.3109/01902148.2012.658595, ISSN: 1521-0499.

Newcomb DC, Boswell MG, Huckabee MM, Goleniewska K, Dulek DE, Reiss S, Lukacs NW, Kolls JK, Peebles RS. IL-13 regulates Th17 secretion of IL-17A in an IL-10-dependent manner. J. Immunol [print-electronic]. 2012 Feb 2/1/2012; 188(3): 1027-35. PMID: 22210911, PMCID: PMC3262924, PII: jimmunol.1102216, DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1102216, ISSN: 1550-6606.

Zhou W, Dowell DR, Huckabee MM, Newcomb DC, Boswell MG, Goleniewska K, Lotz MT, Toki S, Yin H, Yao S, Natarajan C, Wu P, Sriram S, Breyer RM, Fitzgerald GA, Peebles RS. Prostaglandin I2 signaling drives Th17 differentiation and exacerbates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. PLoS ONE [print-electronic]. 2012; 7(5): e33518. PMID: 22590492, PMCID: PMC3349674, PII: PONE-D-10-03779, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033518, ISSN: 1932-6203.

Boswell MG, Zhou W, Newcomb DC, Peebles RS. PGI2 as a regulator of CD4+ subset differentiation and function. Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat [print-electronic]. 2011 Nov; 96(1-4): 21-6. PMID: 21864703, PMCID: PMC3215832, PII: S1098-8823(11)00073-6, DOI: 10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2011.08.003, ISSN: 1098-8823.

Zhou W, Dowell DR, Geraci MW, Blackwell TS, Collins RD, Polosukhin VV, Lawson WE, Wu P, Sussan T, Biswal S, Goleniewska K, O'Neal J, Newcomb DC, Toki S, Morrow JD, Peebles RS. PGI synthase overexpression protects against bleomycin-induced mortality and is associated with increased Nqo 1 expression. Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell Mol. Physiol [print-electronic]. 2011 Oct; 301(4): L615-22. PMID: 21764988, PMCID: PMC3774255, PII: ajplung.00224.2010, DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00224.2010, ISSN: 1522-1504.

Lawson WE, Cheng DS, Degryse AL, Tanjore H, Polosukhin VV, Xu XC, Newcomb DC, Jones BR, Roldan J, Lane KB, Morrisey EE, Beers MF, Yull FE, Blackwell TS. Endoplasmic reticulum stress enhances fibrotic remodeling in the lungs. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A [print-electronic]. 2011 Jun 6/28/2011; 108(26): 10562-7. PMID: 21670280, PMCID: PMC3127925, PII: 1107559108, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1107559108, ISSN: 1091-6490.

Stokes KL, Chi MH, Sakamoto K, Newcomb DC, Currier MG, Huckabee MM, Lee S, Goleniewska K, Pretto C, Williams JV, Hotard A, Sherrill TP, Peebles RS, Moore ML. Differential pathogenesis of respiratory syncytial virus clinical isolates in BALB/c mice. J. Virol [print-electronic]. 2011 Jun; 85(12): 5782-93. PMID: 21471228, PMCID: PMC3126300, PII: JVI.01693-10, DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01693-10, ISSN: 1098-5514.

Newcomb DC, Boswell MG, Zhou W, Huckabee MM, Goleniewska K, Sevin CM, Hershey GK, Kolls JK, Peebles RS. Human TH17 cells express a functional IL-13 receptor and IL-13 attenuates IL-17A production. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol [print-electronic]. 2011 Apr; 127(4): 1006-13.e1. PMID: 21236478, PMCID: PMC3916096, PII: S0091-6749(10)01865-8, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2010.11.043, ISSN: 1097-6825.

Zaynagetdinov R, Ryzhov S, Goldstein AE, Yin H, Novitskiy SV, Goleniewska K, Polosukhin VV, Newcomb DC, Mitchell D, Morschl E, Zhou Y, Blackburn MR, Peebles RS, Biaggioni I, Feoktistov I. Attenuation of chronic pulmonary inflammation in A2B adenosine receptor knockout mice. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol [print-electronic]. 2010 May; 42(5): 564-71. PMID: 19556606, PMCID: PMC2874442, PII: 2008-0391OC, DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2008-0391OC, ISSN: 1535-4989.

Moore ML, Newcomb DC, Parekh VV, Van Kaer L, Collins RD, Zhou W, Goleniewska K, Chi MH, Mitchell D, Boyce JA, Durbin JE, Sturkie C, Peebles RS. STAT1 negatively regulates lung basophil IL-4 expression induced by respiratory syncytial virus infection. J. Immunol [print-electronic]. 2009 Aug 8/1/2009; 183(3): 2016-26. PMID: 19587017, PMCID: PMC3755459, PII: jimmunol.0803167, DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0803167, ISSN: 1550-6606.

Newcomb DC, Peebles RS. Bugs and asthma: a different disease?. Proc Am Thorac Soc. 2009 May 5/1/2009; 6(3): 266-71. PMID: 19387028, PMCID: PMC2677401, PII: 6/3/266, DOI: 10.1513/pats.200806-056RM, ISSN: 1546-3222.

Newcomb DC, Zhou W, Moore ML, Goleniewska K, Hershey GK, Kolls JK, Peebles RS. A functional IL-13 receptor is expressed on polarized murine CD4+ Th17 cells and IL-13 signaling attenuates Th17 cytokine production. J. Immunol. 2009 May 5/1/2009; 182(9): 5317-21. PMID: 19380778, PMCID: PMC3711250, PII: 182/9/5317, DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0803868, ISSN: 1550-6606.

Moore ML, Chi MH, Luongo C, Lukacs NW, Polosukhin VV, Huckabee MM, Newcomb DC, Buchholz UJ, Crowe JE, Goleniewska K, Williams JV, Collins PL, Peebles RS. A chimeric A2 strain of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) with the fusion protein of RSV strain line 19 exhibits enhanced viral load, mucus, and airway dysfunction. J. Virol [print-electronic]. 2009 May; 83(9): 4185-94. PMID: 19211758, PMCID: PMC2668460, PII: JVI.01853-08, DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01853-08, ISSN: 1098-5514.

Zhou W, Newcomb DC, Moore ML, Goleniewska K, O'Neal JF, Peebles RS. Cyclooxygenase inhibition during allergic sensitization increases STAT6-independent primary and memory Th2 responses. J. Immunol. 2008 Oct 10/15/2008; 181(8): 5360-7. PMID: 18832692, PII: 181/8/5360, ISSN: 1550-6606.

Available Postdoctoral Position Details
Posted: 10/29/2015
Description:
The laboratory of Dr. Dawn C. Newcomb invites applications for a post-doctoral position with training and experience in immunology and mouse models of disease. The ideal candidate will work within a dynamic, extramurally-funded, and productive laboratory focused on the role of sex hormones on innate lymphoid cells and T cells. Our laboratory uses cells from healthy individual and patients with asthma as well as mouse models.

Required qualifications:
-Ph.D.
-Experience, knowledge, and a publication record in immunology or related field.
-Experience with tissue culture techniques and/or animal models
-Strong research, analytical, critical thinking, and writing skills.
-Proactive and flexible demeanor with ability to effectively work in a team environment.
-Ability to handle confidential patient information in a HIPPA-compliant manner
-Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with demonstrated ability to develop meaningful collaborations

Preferred Qualifications:
-Experience with flow cytometry, ELISAs, western blotting, and real-time PCR
-Experience in culturing primary cells from patients as well as mice
-Experience in analyzing and confirming microarray, RNA-sequencing, or ChIP-sequencing data

Please submit Inquiries or an application to Dawn Newcomb (dawn.newcomb@vanderbilt.edu) and include ???Post-doctoral Research Fellow Position??? in the subject line. The application packet should include: (1) cover letter which includes an outline of current research focus and relevant experience, successes and future directions, any mentoring/teaching experience, immigration status, and the names and complete contact information for three potential references, (2) curriculum vitae, and (3) ideal start date.