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Mary Tomayko, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Dermatology and of Pathology; Director Yale Immunobullous Clinic, Dermatology; Director Dermatology Medical Student Education, Dermatology

Contact Information

Mary Tomayko, MD, PhD

Mailing Address

  • Dermatology

    PO Box 208059, 333 Cedar Street

    New Haven, CT 06520-8059

    United States

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Yale Medicine

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Research Summary

The ability to develop “immunological memory” to infectious diseases is critical for health and survival. Our laboratory studies how this long-term immunity is established and maintained in order to better understand natural immunity, improve vaccine design and develop more effective therapies for autoimmune disease.

Specialized Terms: Immunologic memory; B cell response; Autoimmunity; Bullous pemphigoid; Pemphigus vulgaris

Extensive Research Description

Memory B cells that differentiate into antigen presenting and antibody-producing cells are important in natural and vaccine-mediated protection and are targets of B cell-directed therapies for malignancy and autoimmune disease. Thus, there is great interest in elucidating their unique biological properties in order to understand how they form, function and modulate recall responses. However, progress in elucidating these properties has been limited, particularly in mice, by the lack of adequate markers to distinguish memory cells. Our group has had a long-standing interest in this area and has made a number of contributions.

Using mouse systems developed in our laboratory that overcome significant barriers to the study of B cell memory, we compared gene expression between memory B cells and their naïve precursors using Affymetrix microarrays. We confirmed the differential expression of several conceptually important families at the mRNA and protein level. These initial findings were the foundation of several research projects. Some key findings and areas of ongoing research include:

1. Memory B cells are wired to signal differently than their naïve precursors.

2. There are subsets of murine memory B cells that form a spectrum from more naïve-like to more-memory-like.

3. Specific pathways regulate self-renewal and differentiation to antibody forming cells.

4. Specific pathways regulate the quality of the T-dependent B cell immune response.

Coauthors

Research Interests

Dermatology; Immunologic Memory; Pemphigoid, Bullous; Pemphigus; Autoimmunity

Selected Publications

  • RituximabGelhausen, J.R., Heffernan, M. P. and Tomayko, M.M. Chapter 30: Rituximab. In Comprehensive Dermatologic Drug Therapy, 4th Edition. Ed. S. E. Wolverton and J.J. Wu. 2020.
  • Inflammatory eruptions associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: A single-institution retrospective analysis with stratification of reactions by toxicity and implications for management.Coleman E, Ko C, Dai F, Tomayko MM, Kluger H, Leventhal JS. Inflammatory eruptions associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: A single-institution retrospective analysis with stratification of reactions by toxicity and implications for management. Journal Of The American Academy Of Dermatology 2019, 80:990-997.
  • What B cell memories are made of.Tomayko MM, Allman D. What B cell memories are made of. Current Opinion In Immunology 2019, 57:58-64.
  • B cell depletion or absence does not impede anti-tumor activity of PD-1 inhibitors.Damsky W, Jilaveanu L, Turner N, Perry C, Zito C, Tomayko M, Leventhal J, Herold K, Meffre E, Bosenberg M, Kluger HM. B cell depletion or absence does not impede anti-tumor activity of PD-1 inhibitors. Journal For Immunotherapy Of Cancer 2019, 7:153.
  • A Niche for Plasma Cells: The Skin.Karaaslan S, Tomayko MM. A Niche for Plasma Cells: The Skin. The Journal Of Investigative Dermatology 2019, 139:2411-2414.
  • Bullous disorders associated with anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 therapy: A retrospective analysis evaluating the clinical and histopathologic features, frequency, and impact on cancer therapy.Siegel J, Totonchy M, Damsky W, Berk-Krauss J, Castiglione F, Sznol M, Petrylak DP, Fischbach N, Goldberg SB, Decker RH, Stamatouli AM, Hafez N, Glusac EJ, Tomayko MM, Leventhal JS. Bullous disorders associated with anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 therapy: A retrospective analysis evaluating the clinical and histopathologic features, frequency, and impact on cancer therapy. Journal Of The American Academy Of Dermatology 2018, 79:1081-1088.
  • Development of bullous pemphigoid during nivolumab therapy.Damsky W, Kole L, Tomayko MM. Development of bullous pemphigoid during nivolumab therapy. JAAD Case Reports 2016, 2:442-444.
  • CD80 and PD-L2 define functionally distinct memory B cell subsets that are independent of antibody isotype.Zuccarino-Catania GV, Sadanand S, Weisel FJ, Tomayko MM, Meng H, Kleinstein SH, Good-Jacobson KL, Shlomchik MJ. CD80 and PD-L2 define functionally distinct memory B cell subsets that are independent of antibody isotype. Nature Immunology 2014, 15:631-7.
  • Cutting edge: Hierarchy of maturity of murine memory B cell subsets.Tomayko MM, Steinel NC, Anderson SM, Shlomchik MJ. Cutting edge: Hierarchy of maturity of murine memory B cell subsets. Journal Of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2010, 185:7146-50.
  • PD-1 regulates germinal center B cell survival and the formation and affinity of long-lived plasma cells.Good-Jacobson KL, Szumilas CG, Chen L, Sharpe AH, Tomayko MM, Shlomchik MJ. PD-1 regulates germinal center B cell survival and the formation and affinity of long-lived plasma cells. Nature Immunology 2010, 11:535-42.
  • BLyS inhibition eliminates primary B cells but leaves natural and acquired humoral immunity intact.Scholz JL, Crowley JE, Tomayko MM, Steinel N, O'Neill PJ, Quinn WJ, Goenka R, Miller JP, Cho YH, Long V, Ward C, Migone TS, Shlomchik MJ, Cancro MP. BLyS inhibition eliminates primary B cells but leaves natural and acquired humoral immunity intact. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2008, 105:15517-22.
  • Cell Biology, in Clinical and Basic ImmunodermatologySadanand, SS and Tomayko, MM. B Cell Biology, in Clinical and Basic Immunodermatology, Eds. Kaplan DH, Gaspari, AA, Stingl, G. In press.
  • CD73 expression is dynamically regulated in the germinal center and bone marrow plasma cells are diminished in its absence.Conter LJ, Song E, Shlomchik MJ, Tomayko MM. CD73 expression is dynamically regulated in the germinal center and bone marrow plasma cells are diminished in its absence. PloS One 2014, 9:e92009.

Clinical Trials

ConditionsStudy Title
Diseases of the Nervous SystemEvaluating the Immune Response to COVID-19 Vaccination in B-cell Depleted Patients
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