Academic Background

Ph. D. (1974) University of Pennsylvania

Regulation of B Cell Survival Control of Virus Expression by Lymphocyte Activators

Our laboratory is determining the soluble and cell associated ligands that maintain virgin B lymphocytes in the long-lived lumphocyte pool. In particular, we are interested in the transcriptional and post translational regulation of pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic proteins that control B cell homeostasis and B cell survival during stress. For these experiments we are comparing B cells from normal mice to those from mice with an X-chromosome linked immunodeficiency, as this mutation significantly reduces peripheral B cell survival. Other studies in the laboratory focus on the mechanism by which a virus infection is controlled in lymphocytes by lymphocyte activators. We have shown that virus transcription, protein translation, assembly and release of infectious particles are all processes regulated by lymphocyte activators acting on resting infected cells. We are using these observations to develope new modalities to control both acute and chronic virus infections.