Post-transcriptional control of gene expression in virus-infected cells
Our lab utilizes virus infection models to investigate how gene expression is regulated post-transcriptionally by physiological stress. Besides ensuring swift spatially & temporally coordinated responses, post-transcriptional control of gene expression is exceptionally important in virus infection biology as viruses are absolutely reliant on host protein synthetic functions for their replication and pathogenesis. Moreover, many cell intrinsic host anti-viral responses target mRNA decay and the regulation of protein synthesis. By leveraging virus infection models as powerful genetic and cell biological tools, we can tease apart fundamental cellular mechanisms regulating gene expression. Our research uses a variety of different viruses, exploiting natural features of individual virus reproductive cycles to investigate specific aspects of gene expression control in infected cells.
Ian Mohr
Professor, Department of Microbiology.
As an undergraduate at St Andrews University in Scotland, I initially studied zoology with a clear vision of becoming a museum or field biologist of some kind. All that changed during a lecture on plasmid replication and phage biology. In an instant, I was consumed by a new interest in molecular biology and switched my degree focus to genetics. After a Ph.D. at King’s College in London and a postdoc at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, I joined the faculty at NYU School of Medicine. Initially, my lab was focused on cellular transcription control mechanisms but slowly expanded into understanding the molecular basis of the lytic/latent switch of two medically important viruses: herpes simplex virus (HSV) and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). The transition into virology benefitted greatly from the expertise and resources of my neighbor Ian Mohr and his exceptional research team. Finding natural synergy in our scientific interests and experimental approaches, we began to co-mentor trainees, coauthor papers, and win collaborative grants. Ultimately these successes as well as a series of traumatic events that rocked the medical center led to the merging of our laboratories. Outside the lab, I have major interests in bird migration, avian systematics, and the ecology of marine megafauna. These passions have taken me all over the world including to many remote oceanic islands. Now an authentic molecular virologist by profession, I can enjoy being a field biologist in my spare time.
Angus C. Wilson
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology.