Overview
After graduation from LSU Health with my Ph.D. dissertation addressing how human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) regulates the PI3K/AKT cell signaling pathway, I worked on how HCMV down-modulates host immune responses by exploiting the sialic acid/SIGLEC interface at the University of Pittsburgh. I now work on identification of novel host factors that restrict emerging influenza viruses from growing in a host.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Postdoctoral Scholar
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology,
Basic Science Departments
Recent Publications
Human cytomegalovirus attenuates AKT activity by destabilizing insulin receptor substrate proteins.
Journal Article Journal of virology · October 2023 ImportanceHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) requires inactivation of AKT to efficiently replicate, yet how AKT is shut off during HCMV infection has remained unclear. We show that UL38, an HCMV protein that activates mTORC1, is necessary and sufficient ... Full text CiteThe Akt Forkhead Box O Transcription Factor Axis Regulates Human Cytomegalovirus Replication.
Journal Article mBio · August 2022 The protein kinase Akt broadly impacts many cellular processes, including mRNA translation, metabolism, apoptosis, and stress responses. Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), a lipid kinase pivotal to Akt activation, triggers various herpesvi ... Full text CiteEndoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Reorganization and Intracellular Retention of CD58 Are Functionally Independent Properties of the Human Cytomegalovirus ER-Resident Glycoprotein UL148.
Journal Article Journal of virology · February 2020 The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident glycoprotein UL148 is posited to play roles in immune evasion and regulation of viral cell tropism. UL148 prevents cell surface presentation of the immune cell costimulatory ligand CD58 w ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative-RTI
ResearchPostdoctoral Associate · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2022 - 2026View All Grants