Assistant Professor, Veterinary Pathobiology
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Texas A&M University
mcriscitiello@cvm.tamu.edu
Comparative Immunology Laboratory
Research
The Criscitiello lab studies immunology and evolution. Most of our research focuses on the early natural history of the vertebrate adaptive immune system, with particular attention given to the genetics of lymphocyte antigen receptors, mucosal immune mechanisms in the gut, antigen presentation and invertebrate innate immunogenomics.
Research interests
evolution, antigen receptor immunogenetics, lower vertebrates
Selected Publications
Mashoof, S., A. Goodroe, C.C. Du, J.O. Eubanks, N. Jacobs, J.M. Steiner, I. Tizard, J.S. Suchodolski and M.F. Criscitiello. “Ancient T-independence of mucosal IgX/A: gut microbiota unaffected by larval thymectomy in Xenopus laevis.” Mucosal Immunology 6(2):358-68, 2013.
Criscitiello, M.F. and P. de Figueiredo. “Fifty Shades of Immune Defense.” PLoS Pathogens 9(2): e1003110, 2013.
Criscitiello, M.F., Ohta Y., Saltis M., McKinney E.C., Flajnik M.F. ” Evolutionarily conserved TCR binding sites, identification of T cells in primary lymphoid tissues, and surprising trans-rearrangements in nurse shark.” Journal of Immunology, 184(12):6950-60, 2010.
Criscitiello, M.F. and M.F. Flajnik. “Lambda and kappa are two of four primordial immunoglobulin light chain isotypes.”European Journal of Immunology, 37(10):2683-94, 2007.
Hsu, E. and M.F. Criscitiello. “Diverse immunoglobulin light chain organizations in fish retain potential to revise receptor specificities.” The Journal of Immunology, 177(4):2452-62, 2006.
Criscitiello, M.F., M. Saltis and M.F. Flajnik. “An evolutionarily mobile antigen receptor variable region gene: doubly rearranging NAR-TcR genes in sharks.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 103(13):5036-41, 2006.