Veerle Fleskens

Veerle Fleskens (1984) studied Biomedical Sciences at the Utrecht University and obtained a Master’s degree in Cancer, Genomics & Developmental Biology. During her Master she performed internships in the Department of Metabolic and Endocrine Diseases at the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU) and at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada. In 2008 she started her PhD in the Molecular Immunology lab with Prof. P.J. Coffer. Here she studies the transcription factor FOXP3 which plays a crucial role in the function and development of regulatory T cells.

The transcription factor FOXP3 is the master regulator in the development and function of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Tregs are believed to be responsible for suppression of the immune response to maintain immunological self-tolerance. Mutations of FOXP3 can lead to the IPEX syndrome, which is a fatal human disorder that develops early in childhood. These patients die due to serious autoimmune disorders caused by a lack of Tregs. Like many other transcription factors, FOXP3 activity can be regulated by post-translational modification. The aim of this project is to investigate the function of FOXP3 at the molecular level with particular focus on its regulation by post-translational modifications.

Posttranslational modifications of PPARγ: Fine-tuning the metabolic master regulator. van Beekum, O., Fleskens, V. and Kalkhoven, E. (2009)
Obesity 17, 213-219