Prof. Dr. Siamon Gordon

How or why did you become involved in infection research, what fascinates you about this subject?
Asa medical student, from pathology course at the University of CapeTown, I was influenced by a lecturer Golda Selzer, a rare researcher inpolio vaccine, who subsequently arranged for me to start my researchcareer in the Porter lab (Wright-Fleming Institute, St Mary’s, London)with Sidney Cohen, on antibody structure, and at Rockefeller University.After a post-doc year with Alexander G Bearn, a human geneticist, withwhom I worked on haptoglobin, I undertook a PhD in macrophage cellbiology with Zanvil Cohn. The rest is (personal) history.

What are you working on at the moment?
As ever,diverse aspects of macrophage immunobiology, mainly in mouse modelsrelevant to human disease. Focus is on non opsonic receptors (scavengerSR-A, Marco); Lectins (dectin-1) and regulatory surface molecules(EGF-TM7, CD200, Dap-12), implicated in predictable interactions withendocytic, phagocytic, infectious (Neisseria, Dengue, Candida) and noninfectious host-derived ligands (apolipoproteins) and some less obviousfunctions (especially mannose receptor role in antigen targeting,alternative macrophage activation, tumour associated macrophages). Aparticular fancy is the mechanism and possible function of macrophagecell fusion in granuloma and osteoclast formation (an old love sincestudent project 40 years ago).

What were the turning points in science, in career, in life that influenced your decisions?
InCohn laboratory (also with James Hirsch and René Dubos (a Pasteurscientific descendant) I became hooked on macrophages and host-pathogeninteractions (with a touch of social and historical interest intuberculosis). I was also influenced by Henry Harris’ dramaticexperiments in Oxford on Sendai virus – induced cell fusion as aresearch tool, which provided a thesis topic and eventually took me to aposition at the Dunn School of Pathology, where I’ve been since 1976until my formal retirement in 2008.

What was a single most important moment of your career?
Myattempts to study heterokaryons and hybrids (somatic cell genetics,cell differentiation), using macrophages as tools ran into the technicallimitations of single cell analysis – so I made a conscious decision,sometime around 1970 to study primary macrophages for their own sake.This led to the study of lysozyme as a secretion product, a neglectedfunction of this professional phagocyte.

What was your most important scientific discovery?
Followingon secretion of lysozyme and plasminogen activator, macrophageactivation (including alternative pathway induced by Th2 cytokine).Application of hybridoma technology (a natural evolution given mybackground) to macrophage differentiation antigens. This led to F4/80and definition of the mononuclear phagocyte system throughout the body;their role in development and disease, and production of new functionalmonoclonals to study adhesion (CR3, SR-A), new receptors (Sialoadhesin,Dectin-1, mannose receptor) and modulators of fusion. Of course I alsomissed a few even more important molecules – TNF and TLR!

What drives you and carries you on? What do you love about your work?
Curiosity, ­imagining the way Nature works. Talking about macrophages.

What influenced and impressed you and your life and therefore science?
Thefeeling of past discoveries and institutions with strong experimentaltraditions (Rockefeller, Dunn School), provided a sense of freedom,daring and confidence. The drive to discover new things that matter.

Idols?
While I have a deep sense of gratitude tomy above mentors, I love to go against the stream, appreciate myteachers, but not to idolise.

What would you recommend to someone starting out in science? What would be your advice for young scientists?
Growslowly, don’t rush or follow bandwagons, find topics of broadbiological interest, especially at interface between narrowly defineddisciplines.

What would have been your alternative plan (plan B) if science/your job had not worked out?
IfI had grown up in a less provincial society (Jewish South Africa), Iwould not have become a doctor and subsequent scientist (which I havenever regretted), but studied and researched in the humanities (socialscience, history).

What are your dreams for the future?
To integrate knowledge of my favourite cell in a wider context.

What do you think is important and should be worked on in the future?
Thetrophic functions of macrophages (haemopoiesis, brain) are neglected,nor is their differentiation in disease tissue microenvironmentsunderstood at all.

What do you do when you are not working?
Mulling over the macrophage, while reading broadly and listening to 18-20^th century music, especially Schubert.

(http://www.infection-research.de/have_you_ever_met/detail/view/8/gordon/)

一个人的文章被引用一千多次，那是啥感觉呢？Ironpan