EKEN GRUP

Studies in our lab focus on understanding the biology of three developmentally and functionally related group of immune cells, Th17, ILC3, and Treg cells, in homeostasis and autoimmune states. We utilize cell culture (of both human mouse cells) as well as mouse models of Multiple Sclerosis (EAE), Crohn’s and colitis.

We collaborate with neurologists to understand the impact of certain treatment modalities used in multiple sclerosis patients on ILCs and Th17 cells.

We are also interested in dissecting molecular and functional consequenses of mutations that cause primary immunodeficiencies (PID). In select PID patients, we characterize the impact of mutations via functional assays (proliferation, cytokine production etc.) We employ cell proliferation, apoptosis, ELISA, real time qPCR assays. We heavily collaborate with several physician scientists from Erciyes University Medical Faculty and Assoc.Prof. Mohamed Oukka from University of Washington.

Currently Funded Projects

TUSEB 2021-2024

Completed Projects

2232-Yurda Donus BIDEB 2016-2018

3501-TUBITAK 2016-2019

1003-Tubitak 2017-2019

Flow Cytomerty Laboratory

Our experiments rely heavily on use of multicolor flow cytometry and cell sorting. GENKÖK has FACSAriaIII equipped with three lasers (488 blue, 633 red and 375 UV). This allows us to sort cells from amongst a population labeled with 10 colors at once.

Publications:

SCI or SCI-Expanded

1.Eken A, Erdem S, Haliloglu Y, Okus FZ, Cakir M, Yetkin MF, Akcakoyunlu M, Karayigit MO, Azizoglu ZB, Bicer A, Gur TN, Aslan K, Hora M, Oukka M, Donmez Altuntas H, Nalbantoglu OU, Gundogdu A, Mirza M and Canatan H. Temporal Overexpression of IL-22 and Reg3γ differentially Impacts the Severity of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis. Immunology. 2021. DOI: 10.1111/imm.13340

2.Ozkaya M, Baykan A, Cakir M, Vural C, Sunkak S, Unal E, Eken A. The number and activity of CD3⁺TCR Vα7.2⁺CD161⁺ cells are increased in children with acute rheumatic fever. Int J Cardiol. 2021 Feb 22:S0167-5273(21)00273-4. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2021.02.020. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33631279.

3.Haroglu D, Eken A, Gönen ZB, Bahar D. Development of a three dimensional (3D) knitted scaffold for myocardial tissue engineering. Part II: biological performance of the knitted scaffolds, The Journal of The Textile Institute, 2021 DOI: 10.1080/00405000.2021. 1907990

4.Yilmaz E, Kuehn HS, Odakir E, Niemela JE, Ozcan A, Eken A, Rohlfs M, Cansever M, Gok V, Aydin F, Karakukcu M, Hauck F, Klein C, Unal E, Rosenzweig SD, Patiroglu T. Common Variable Immunodeficiency, Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia, and Pancytopenia Associated With a Defect in IKAROS. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2021 Apr 1;43(3):e351-e357. doi: 10.1097/MPH.000000000000 1976. PubMed PMID: 33122583; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7987842.

5.Goktas S, Azizoglu ZB, Petersheim D, Erdogan M, Eke Gungor H, Bisgin A, Tuğ Bozdoğan S, Eken A, Unal E, Klein C, Patiroglu T. A Novel Intronic Mutation Reduces HAX1 Level and is Associated With Severe Congenital Neutropenia. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2021 Feb 3;. doi: 10.1097/MPH.000000000 0002071. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33560082.

6.Avcilar H, Eken A. Could imiquimod (Aldara 5% cream) or other TLR7 agonists be used in the treatment of COVID-19?. Med Hypotheses. 2020 Nov;144:110202. doi: 10.1016 /j.mehy.2020. 110202. Epub 2020 Aug 18. PubMed PMID: 33254510; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7434307.

7.Eken A, Cansever M, Okus FZ, Erdem S, Nain E, Azizoglu ZB, Haliloglu Y, Karakukcu M, Ozcan A, Devecioglu O, Aksu G, Arikan Ayyildiz Z, Topal E, Karakoc Aydiner E, Kiykim A, Metin A, Cipe F, Kaya A, Artac H, Reisli I, Guner SN, Uygun V, Karasu G, Dönmez Altuntas H, Canatan H, Oukka M, Ozen A, Chatila TA, Keles S, Baris S, Unal E, Patiroglu T. ILC3 deficiency and generalized ILC abnormalities in DOCK8-deficient patients. Allergy. 2020 Apr;75(4):921-932. doi: 10.1111/all.14081. Epub 2019 Oct 31. PubMed PMID: 31596517; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7141948

8.Eken A, Cansever M, Somekh I, Mizoguchi Y, Zietara N, Okus FZ, Erdem S, Canatan H, Akyol S, Ozcan A, Karakukcu M, Hollizeck S, Rohlfs M, Unal E, Klein C, Patiroglu T. Genetic Deficiency and Biochemical Inhibition of ITK Affect Human Th17, Treg, and Innate Lymphoid Cells. J Clin Immunol. 2019 May;39(4):391-400. doi: 10.1007/s10875-019-00632-5. Epub 2019 Apr 25. PubMed PMID: 31025232.

9.Eken A, Yetkin MF, Vural A, Okus FZ, Erdem S, Azizoglu ZB, Haliloglu Y, Cakir M, Turkoglu EM, Kilic O, Kara I, Dönmez Altuntaş Altuntaş H, Oukka M, Kutuk MS, Mirza M and Canatan H (2019) Fingolimod Alters Tissue Distribution and Cytokine Production of Human and Murine Innate Lymphoid Cells. Front. Immunol. 10:217. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00217

10.Gorman JA, Hundhausen C, Kinsman M, Arkatkar T, Allenspach EJ, Clough C, West SE, Thomas K, Eken A, Khim S, Hale M, Oukka M, Jackson SW, Cerosaletti K, Buckner JH, Rawlings DJ.

Front Immunol. 2019 Jan 25;10:44. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00044. eCollection 2019.

11.Eken A, Duhen R, Singh AK, Fry M, Buckner JH, Kita M, Bettelli E, Oukka M. S1P1 deletion differentially affects TH17 and Regulatory T cells. Sci Rep. 2017 Oct 10;7(1):12905. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-13376-2. PMID:29018225

12.Singh AK, Eken A, Hagin D, Komal K, Bhise G, Shaji A, Arkatkar T, Jackson SW, Bettelli E, Torgerson TR, Oukka M. DOCK8 regulates fitness and function of regulatory T cells through modulation of IL-2 signaling.JCI Insight. 2017 Oct 5;2(19). pii: 94275. doi: 0.1172/jci.insight.94275. [Epub ahead of print]

13.Allenspach EJ, Finn LS, Rendi MH, Eken A, Singh AK, Oukka M, Taylor SD, Altman MC, Fligner CL, Ochs HD, Rawlings DJ, Torgerson TR. Absence of functional fetal regulatory T cells in humans causes in utero organ-specific autoimmunity. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017 Mar 16. pii: S0091-6749(17)30405-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.02.017. [Epub ahead of print]

14.Singh AK, Eken A, Fry M, Bettelli E, Oukka M. DOCK8 regulates protective immunity by controlling the function and survival of RORγt(+) ILCs . Nature Communications 2014 Aug 5;5:4603. doi: 10.1038/ncomms5603.

15.Eken A, Singh AK, Oukka M. Interleukin 23 in Crohn’s Disease. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 2014 Mar;20(3):587-95. doi: 10.1097/01.MIB.0000442014.52661.2.

16.Eken A, Singh AK, Oukka M. IL-23R+ innate lymphoid cells induce colitis via interleukin-22-dependent mechanism. Mucosal Immunology. 2014 Jan;7(1):143-54. doi: 10.1038/mi.2013.33. Epub 2013 May 29.

17.Eken A, Ortiz V, Wands JR. Ethanol Inhibits Antigen Presentation by Dendritic Cells. Clinical Vaccine Immunology. 2011 Jul;18(7):1157-66. doi: 10.1128/CVI.05029-11. Epub 2011 May 11.

18.Feng D, Eken A, Ortiz V, Wands JR. 2011. Chronic Alcohol-Induced Liver Disease Inhibits Dendritic Cell Function. Liver International. 2011 Aug;31(7):950-63. doi: 10.1111/j.1478-3231.2011.02514.x. Epub 2011 Mar 21

19.Szabo G, Wands JR, Eken A, Osna NA, Weinman SA, Machida K, Wang HJ. 2010. Alcohol and hepatitis C virus interactions in immune dysfunctions and liver damage. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 2010 Oct;34(10):1675-86. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2010.01255.x. Epub 2010 Jan 20. Review.

20.Wintermeyer P, Gehring S, Eken A, Wands JR. 2009. Generation of cellular immune responses to HCV NS5 protein through in vivo activation of dendritic cells. Journal of Viral Hepatitis. 2010 Oct;17(10):705-13. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2009.01228.x.

E-SCI Dergiler

21.Eken A, Okus Z, Erdem S, Azizoglu ZB, Haliloglu Y, Bicer A, Gur TN, Yilmaz E, Karakukcu M, Altuntas HD, Canatan H. IL-15 negatively regulates curdlan-induced IL-23 production by human monocyte-derived dendritic cells and subsequent Th17 response. North Clin Istanb. 2019;6(4):379-387. doi: 10.14744/nci.2019.38802. eCollection 2019. PubMed PMID: 31909384; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6936942.

22.Eken, A., Yetkin, . F., Okus, F. Z. , Erdem, Ş., ÇAKIR, M., Haliloğlu, Y., … Azizoğlu, Z. B. (2019). Comparison of peripheral blood th17 cells and associated cytokines in fingolimod-receiving and untreated multiple sclerosis patients Fingolimod alan ve almayan multiple skleroz hastalarının perifierik kanında th17 hücrelerinin karşılaştırılması. Turkish Journal of Immunology , vol.7, no.2, 69-75.

23.Chung W, Xu S, Eken A, He J. Current Status of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Treatment of Rheumatic Disease Pain. Current Rheumatology Reviews Volume 5, Number 4, November 2009. Pp. 194-198

Derleme/Review

Turkish Journals

24.Türkoğlu, E. M., Erdem, Şerife, Okus, F. Z., Özcan, A., Azizoğlu, Z. B., Eken, A., Uludağ, S. Z., Kutuk, M. S., Karakukcu, M., & Ünal, E. (2020). Impact of Intrauterine Growth Restriction Diseases on The Umbilical Cord Blood CD34+ Cell Counts: Morbidly Adherent Placenta and umbilical cord blood CD34+ cells. The Journal of Pediatric Academy, 1(2), 56-61. Retrieved from https://www.jpediatricacademy.com/index.php/jpa/article/view/66

Book Chapters

1.Göktaş S. , Eken A. , Patıroğlu T. “Severe Congenital Neutropenia due to HAX-1 Mutations”, Rare Diseases in Children Focusing on Pediatric Immunology & Neurology, Musa Karakukcu,Huseyin Per,Ekrem Unal,Aysenur Pac Kisaarslan, Editör, Nobel Tıp Kitapevi, Ankara, ss.132-146, 2020

Erdem S., Eken A., Ünal E. “T lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase deficiency”, Rare Diseases in Children Focusing on Pediatric Immunology & Neurology, Musa Karakukcu,Huseyin Per,Ekrem Unal,Aysenur Pac Kisaarslan, Editör, Nobel Tıp Kitapevi, Ankara, ss.9-14, 2020

3.Eken A and Donmez Altuntas H. “Innate Lymphoid Cells (Non‐NK ILCs)”, Lymhocyte, InTech, –DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.68893- 2017

4.Eken A and Oukka M., “Interleukin 23 in IBD Pathogenesis”, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, InTech, ISBN 978-953-51-4726-8, 2016

5.Eken A, Singh AK, Oukka M., “Interleukin 23”, Encyclopedia of Inflammatory Diseases, Springer Basel / Birkhäuser Basel,, pp.1-10, 2015.