Chair and Associate Professor                 

Lewis Hall, #3174a
Office: (757) 446-5663
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Teaching: Molecular and Cellular Biology, Cell Biology, Virology and Tumor Biology

Biomedical Sciences Program Track: Molecular Integrative Biosciences (MIB)

Education

• B.S., South Australian Institute of Technology, Australia
• M.S., South Australian Institute of Technology, Australia
• Ph.D., Monash University, Australia
• Postdoctoral Training, University of California, Santa Barbara

Research Interests

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a significant cause of disease in the immunocompromised and is the leading cause of infection-related congenital birth defects. Disease associated with HCMV infections is an increasing problem due to the emergence of drug-resistant viruses. Proteins contained within the HCMV tegument are important for both establishment of virus infection and assembly of new viral particles and thus make attractive therapeutic targets. Our research is focused on understanding the mechanisms that regulate the subcellular trafficking of the tegument proteins, focusing on the phosphoprotein pp71. This protein initially travels to the nucleus, where it plays an important role in switching on viral gene expression. At the late stage of infection, pp71 is found in the cytoplasm in viral assembly compartments associated with trans-Golgi Network (TGN)-derived membranes. Our laboratory has identified a domain of pp71 that is important for both nuclear and TGN-trafficking. Together with our collaborators in the George L. Wright Center for Biomedical Proteomics, we have shown that nuclear localization is regulated by phosphorylation of a specific threonine residue within pp71. Further, our studies have identified a specific sequence that dictates pp71 trafficking to the mitochondria, suggesting additional functions for this key viral tegument protein. We are currently determining the mechanisms of pp71 trafficking and assessing the biological functions of cytoplasmic pp71 during infection.

Selected Publications

• Shen, W., Westgard, E., Huang, L., Ward, M. D., Osborn, J. L., Chau, N. H., Collins, L., Marcum, B., Koach, M. A., Bibbs, J., Semmes, O. J. and Kerry, J. A. Nuclear Trafficking of the Human Cytomegalovirus pp71 (ppUL82) Tegument Protein. Virology, 376(1):42-52. 2008.
• Forgacs, E., Gupta, S. K., Kerry, J. A. and Semmes, O. J. The bZIP Transcription Factor ATFx Binds HTLV-1 Tax and Represses HTLV-1 LTR Mediated Transcription. Journal of Virology, 79:6932-6939. 2005.
• Hanson, L. K., Cageao, L. F., Brock, R. E., Slater, J. S., Dalton, B. L., Kerry, J. A. and Campbell, A. E. Characterization and Regulation of Essential Murine Cytomegalovirus Genes m142 and m143. Virology, 334:166-177. 2005.
• Ciocco-Schmitt, G. M., Karabekian, Z., Godfrey, E. W., Stenberg, R. M., Campbell, A. E. and Kerry, J. A. Identification and Characterization of Novel Murine Cytomegalovirus M112-113 (e1) Gene Products. Virology, 294, 199-208. 2002.
• McWatters, B. J. P., Stenberg, R. M. and Kerry, J. A. Characterization of the Human Cytomegalovirus UL75 (glycoprotein H) Late Gene Promoter. Virology, 303, 309-316. 2002.
• Chau, N. H., Vanson, C. D., and Kerry, J. A. Transcriptional Regulation of the Human Cytomegalovirus US11 Early Gene. Journal of Virology 73:863-870. 1999.

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