Michael T. Berton, Ph.D.

Dr. Berton’s research program has focused on host cell signaling pathways that regulate innate and adaptive immune responses and the mechanisms that pathogens use to evade host immunity. His laboratory made early contributions to understanding how IL-4 and CD40 signaling pathways regulate germline immunoglobulin heavy chain gene transcription and heavy chain class switching. More recently his lab turned its attention to the role of Toll-Like Receptor signaling in regulating immune responses during infection and described novel regulatory mechanisms in TLR signaling. After directing an extramurally funded research program for 25 years at UT Health San Antonio, Dr. Berton has turned his efforts towards the administrative and educational missions of his Department and the University. He currently serves as Interim Chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics in the Long School of Medicine and as Scientific Director of the UT Health San Antonio Flow Cytometry Core Facility.

Related diseases: Infectious disease, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease.

• Professional Background

  Education

  • 1985 - PhD - Microbiology & Immunology - Univ of Tennessee Ctr for the Hlth Sci, Lab of Dr. Robert G. Webster
  • 1978 - BS - Biology - Rhodes College
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship - Immunology - Univ of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Lab of Dr. Ellen Vitetta

  Appointments

  • 9/2019 - Associate Professor and Interim Chair - University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, San Antonio
  • 9/1999 - Associate Professor - The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, San Antonio

• Instruction & Training

  • 9/2019 - Present, Fundamentals of Biomedical Scinces, The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 10/2018 - Present, Biological Foundations, The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 10/2018 - Present, Attack and Defense, The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 1/2018 - Present, Periodontium and Pulp, The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 9/2017 - Present, Responsible Conduct of Researc, The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 9/2016 - Present, Advance Pathophysiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 1/2016 - Present, Advanced Immunobiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 1/2016 - Present, Advanced Immunobiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 1/2016 - Present, Immunology, The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 8/2014 - Present, Current Topics in Microbiology Immunology, The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 1/2004 - Present, Dental Biomed Core I, The University of Texas Health Science Center
  • 8/1992 - Present, Membership on Supervising Committee, UT Health Science Center San Antonio

• Research & Grants

  Innate immune responses

  Cytokine and Toll-like Receptor signaling

  Dr. Berton received his formal training initially in virology studying antigenic variation in influenza viruses with Dr. Rob Webster. He then trained in cellular and molecular immunology in the laboratories of Dr. Jonathan Uhr and Dr. Ellen Vitetta, where he applied his molecular biology expertise to the problem of isotype switching in B cells and its regulation by cytokines. After directing a research program for 25 years studying immune cell signaling pathways that regulate innate and adaptive immune responses here at UT Health San Antonio,

• Publications

  Journal Article

  Melton DW, Roberts AC, Wang H, Sarwar Z, Wetzel MD, Wells, JT, Porter L, Berton MT, McManus LM, Shireman PK. Absence of CCR2 results in an inflammaging environment in young mice with age-independent impairments in muscle regeneration J Leukoc Biol 2016 Nov;100(5):1011-1025. Medina EA, Morris IR, Berton MT. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activation attenuates the TLR2-mediated macrophage proinflammatory cytokine response to Francisella tularensis live vaccine strain J Immunol 2010 Dec;185(12):7562-7572.