All our immune cells are surrounded by a plasma membrane containing a wide variety of proteins and lipids. Tetraspanins are 4-transmembrane proteins that play an important role in the organisation of protein complexes in the membrane to ensure cell functions including adhesion, migration and signalling. The aim of the research is to unravel the molecular mechanisms that underlie tetraspanin function in immune cells in relation to the development of malignant disease. They discovered that tetraspanins control fundamental cellular processes in immune cells, including proliferation, signal transduction and antigen presentation. Tetraspanin-deficiency leads to various immunological defects and development of cancer. The group discovered that tetraspanins can protect against development of B-cell lymphoma. The team combines fundamental cell biology (advanced imaging, signal transduction) with preclinical mouse models to unravel plasma membrane organisation in health and disease. Targeting membrane organizers has exciting therapeutic potential in cancer and infectious disease, exemplified by tetraspanin CD37 as clinical target for patients with B-cell lymphoma.
Publications by the Tetraspanin group
Team members Annemiek van Spriel, PI Angelique Kenyon, PhD student Andrea Abel Gutierrez, PhD student Clara Lalo, PhD student Guus Franken, PhD student Harry Warner, Post-doc Kumar Mangalam, PhD student Martin ter Beest, senior researcher Willem Cox, Post-doc
Former team members
Abbey Arp
Alie van der Schaaf
Cesar Perez Martinez
Erik Jansen
Fabian Schwerdtfeger
Fleur Schaper
Lotte de Winde
Malou Zuidscherwoude
Michelle van den Beukel
Philipp Hagemann
Rens Peeters
Sharon Veenbergen
Simar Pal Singh
Sjoerd van Deventer
Suraya Elfrink
Vera Dunlock
Angelique Kenyon 
Martin ter Beest 
Kumar Mangalam 
Harry Warner 
Willem Cox 
Guus Franken 
Andrea Abel Gutierrez