This new program from the Dept. of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Maryland includes faculty from the Center for Agricultural Biotechnology at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, and the Beltsville Agricultural Research Service of the USDA. The first three institutions are located on the College Park campus of the University of Maryland, while the latter two are 14 and 4 miles distant, respectively. By combining with faculty at nearby institutions, we have assembled an exceptional group of faculty with common research interests in virus replication/gene expression and vaccine development. The breadth of experimental systems, from the smallest pathogenic agents (prions and viroids) to the large poxviruses, comprising ssRNA (plus- and minus-sense) viruses: dsRNA and dsDNA viruses, and plant, fungus, and animal hosts, provide us with an opportunity to offer research training at the graduate and postdoctoral levels that is unmatched by any other institution. Most virology programs are centered either at medical schools, which focus on animal viruses or at plant pathology departments, which concentrate on plant viruses. However, viral processes inside cells are strikingly similar regardless of host. To gain a complete understanding of the intracellular virus life-cycle, which is required for the development of the next generation of virus vaccines and virus-based gene expression systems, students must learn to appreciate and incorporate all knowledge of virus/cell interactions. Through innovative rotations, monthly group meetings, and advanced team-taught classes, trainees will gain such a functional knowledge that will prepare them for research careers centered on combating current and emerging viruses that threaten human health. At the core of the training program are 13 well-funded investigators with proven research and training records, who currently interact by attending monthly group meetings and a yearly retreat. The proposed program will provide financial support for five graduate students and five postdoctoral fellows. New graduate students will be mentored by a team of faculty who will aid the students in the logistics of conducting research both on and off the University of Maryland campus. The Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, with which all graduate trainees will be affiliated, has an exceptional record at attracting minority, physically disadvantaged, and women students. An innovative program has also been designed to help attract additional underrepresented students to the training program.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
5T32AI051967-03
Application #
6779188
Study Section
Microbiology and Infectious Diseases B Subcommittee (MID)
Program Officer
Mcsweegan, Edward
Project Start
2002-08-01
Project End
2007-07-31
Budget Start
2004-08-01
Budget End
2005-07-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$212,992
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Maryland College Park
Department
Anatomy/Cell Biology
Type
Schools of Earth Sciences/Natur
DUNS #
790934285
City
College Park
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
20742
Kendra, Joseph A; Advani, Vivek M; Chen, Bin et al. (2018) Functional and structural characterization of the chikungunya virus translational recoding signals. J Biol Chem 293:17536-17545
Collum, Tamara D; Culver, James N (2017) Tobacco mosaic virus infection disproportionately impacts phloem associated translatomes in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana. Virology 510:76-89
Kendra, Joseph A; de la Fuente, Cynthia; Brahms, Ashwini et al. (2017) Ablation of Programmed -1 Ribosomal Frameshifting in Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Results in Attenuated Neuropathogenicity. J Virol 91:
Gao, Feng; Simon, Anne E (2017) Differential use of 3'CITEs by the subgenomic RNA of Pea enation mosaic virus 2. Virology 510:194-204
Kuhlmann, Micki M; Chattopadhyay, Maitreyi; Stupina, Vera A et al. (2016) An RNA Element That Facilitates Programmed Ribosomal Readthrough in Turnip Crinkle Virus Adopts Multiple Conformations. J Virol 90:8575-91
Collum, Tamara D; Padmanabhan, Meenu S; Hsieh, Yi-Cheng et al. (2016) Tobacco mosaic virus-directed reprogramming of auxin/indole acetic acid protein transcriptional responses enhances virus phloem loading. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 113:E2740-9
Chattopadhyay, Maitreyi; Stupina, Vera A; Gao, Feng et al. (2015) Requirement for Host RNA-Silencing Components and the Virus-Silencing Suppressor when Second-Site Mutations Compensate for Structural Defects in the 3' Untranslated Region. J Virol 89:11603-18
VanBlargan, Laura A; Davis, Kaitlin A; Dowd, Kimberly A et al. (2015) Context-Dependent Cleavage of the Capsid Protein by the West Nile Virus Protease Modulates the Efficiency of Virus Assembly. J Virol 89:8632-42
Chattopadhyay, Maitreyi; Kuhlmann, Micki M; Kumar, Kalyani et al. (2014) Position of the kissing-loop interaction associated with PTE-type 3'CITEs can affect enhancement of cap-independent translation. Virology 458-459:43-52
Belew, Ashton Trey; Meskauskas, Arturas; Musalgaonkar, Sharmishtha et al. (2014) Ribosomal frameshifting in the CCR5 mRNA is regulated by miRNAs and the NMD pathway. Nature 512:265-9

Showing the most recent 10 out of 29 publications