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Work
in our laboratory is currently focused on the effects of a human
virus on normal cell biological processes, particularly processes
that involve ion transport by the cell membrane. In order to replicate,
viruses must have a host cell because the virus is essentially genetic
material surrounded by a protein coat. The energy and metabolic
machinery necessary to replicate the virus comes from the host cell-the
virus subverts the host cellÍs own machinery towards viral
replication. We study the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). HCMV infection
is widespread, but only constitutes a significant public health
problem for immuno-compromised individuals and pregnant women.
From
our point of view, the HCMV has three interesting effects: (1) it
causes the host cell to enlarge by a factor of 2-3-fold, (2) it
causes the host cell to enter the cell cycle but to progress to
only the G1-S boundary, and (3) it appears to block apoptosis, or
programmed cell death. We believe all these effects may share a
dependence on viral effects on membrane ion transport processes.
We have already demonstrated that viral infection of our model cell
culture system causes profound changes in the functional behavior
of several fundamental ion transport mechanisms. In addition to
functional changes, we have shown some differences in the levels
of protein expression of two ion transporters. We are currently
attempting to identify whether the virus causes these effects at
the transcriptional or translational levels of expression.
We
use a laboratory strain of the HCMV that we grow in a human fibroblast
cell line (the wild HCMV does not grow in fibroblasts, but rather
in blood cells and epithelial tissue). We study ion movements using
state-of-the-art ion-sensitive fluorescent techniques. To identify
changes in expression levels, we are using Western blots, Northern
blots and PCR techniques.
Restrictions:
Successful completion of the Cell Biology course would be very helpful
to any student in my lab.
John Russell
814 BRL
443-3962
jrussell@syr.edu |
