Molecular Microbiology Graduate Program Faculty

Neal Alto -- The intersection between human signal-transduction and bacterial pathogenesis; use of biochemical and cell biological analysis to define molecular mechanisms of microbial infectious disease.

Michael Bennett -- Bone-marrow transplantation; graft-versus-host reactions; NK cell receptors.

Paul Blount -- Bacterial mechanosensitive channels and their role in allowing the cell to adapt to different osmotic environments.

Cheng-Ming Chiang -- Transcriptional regulation in human papillomavirus and other small DNA tumor viruses; epigenetic control of viral minichromosomes; modulation of protein function by posttranslational modification

Nicholas Conrad - RNA transcription, processing and decay in Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and its human host cells.

Pinghui Feng - Host recognition and virus escape; gamma herpesvirus infection under immunosuppression; pathogenesis of human Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus

Beatriz Fontoura - Role of Nuclear Transport Factors in Interphase and Mitosis: from viral pathogenesis to cell division

J. Victor Garcia-Martinez -- Lentivirus-based vectors for human gene therapy; role of Nef in HIV pathogenesis; human herpes virus 8 in Kaposi’s sarcoma; xenograft models of human hematopoiesis.

Marie Alda Gilles-Gonzalez -- Heme proteins that serve as oxygen sensors in M. tuberculosis, E. coli, and Rhizobia: characterization of signal-transduction mechanisms of these sensors and their roles in host-microbial interactions.

Eric J. Hansen -- Molecular basis of microbial pathogenesis; use of genetic analysis to identify bacterial virulence factor.

David Hendrixson -- Identification and genetic regulation of bacterial virulence and colonization factors; development of bacterial-host relationships.

Lora Hooper -- Host-microbial interactions; commensal bacteria; mucosal immunity.

Nitin J. Karandikar -- Characterization of autoimmune T cell responses in MS;  memory and effector CTL responses to virus infections;  role of T cells in the immunodulation of MS.

Beth Levine  -- Host-pathogen interactions; autophagy in innate immunity against intracellular pathogens; autophagy in cell death regulation and cancer biology.

Mark Mummert -- Skin biology; immunology.

Robert S. Munford -- Interactions of purified and natural gram-negative lipopolysaccharides (LPS, endotoxins) with animal cells; host mechanisms for detoxifying LPS; physiologically -esponsive gene therapy for inflammatory diseases.

Jerry Y. Niederkorn -- Immunology of parasitic diseases; immune privilege of the anterior chamber of the eye; immune surveillance of intraocular tumors; immune modulation of cancer metastases.

Michael V. Norgard -- Molecular biology and immunology of syphilis and Lyme disease.

Julie Pfeiffer -- Hepatitis C virus; poliovirus; yellow fever virus; virus-host interactions and pathogenesis

Octavio Ramilo -- Pathogenesis of viral infections and host response.

Vanessa Sperandio -- Pathogenesis of E. coli O157:H7; bacterial virulence gene regulation by quorum sensing.

Nancy E. Street -- Activation and differentiation of murine T-helper cell; the role of T-helper cells in tumor dormancy and infectious disease.

Iwona Stroynowski -- Structure-function of major histocompatibility antigens.

Gurol Suel -- 

Jonathan W. Uhr -- Antibody-induced signaling for apoptosis; cancer dormancy.

Nicolai S. C. van Oers -- Regulation of antigen receptor signal-transduction systems.

Ellen S. Vitetta -- Therapy of B-cell tumors; immunotoxins in cancer and AIDS; tumor dormancy; AIDS latency.

Wade Winkler -- Mechanisms of posttranscriptional genetic control in bacteria; biological roles of non-coding RNAs; RNA structure and function.

Felix Yarovinsky -- Toll-like receptor signaling, dendritic cells, and host-pathogen interactions

Dorothy C. Yuan -- Molecular analysis of regulation of immunoglobulin synthesis and B-NK cell interactions.