Molecular Virology

My group's research interests encompass the molecular biology and immunopathology of medically important viral infections. Currently these involve studies of two different viruses; dengue virus, a serious mosquito-borne disease in many tropical countries, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a major cause of hospitalization of children with respiratory infections. The primary goals of our research are the development of vaccine and anti-viral strategies for the control of infections as well as a clearer understanding of the pathogenesis of severe disease. Current projects in my laboratory include:

¨ Structural biology based studies on the dengue virus proteins, NS3 (the viral protease) and E (a virion surface protein involved in cell binding and entry) and the RSV protein F (the viral fusion protein) as targets for antiviral drug design.
¨ Sub-unit and DNA based vaccines for the dengue viruses.
¨ Molecular pathogenesis of severe dengue disease (in particular, the consequences of dengue virus infection of host macrophages and the induction of mediators of vascular leak).
¨ Design and delivery of ribozymes (catalytic RNAs) to the respiratory tract as an antiviral strategy for RSV infections.

These projects involve the application of a range of techniques covering a number of disciplines including molecular biology, immunology, biotechnology, molecular cell biology, protein biochemistry and structural biology.

Selected Publications:

Chappell KJ, Nall TA, Stoermer MJ, Fang NX, Tyndall JD, Fairlie DP, Young PR. (2005). Site-directed mutagenesis and kinetic studies of the West Nile Virus NS3 protease identify key enzyme-substrate interactions. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 280, 2896-2903.

Tarlinton R, Meers J, Hanger J and Young P (2005). Real-time reverse transcriptase PCR for the endogenous koala retrovirus (KoRV) reveals an association between plasma viral load and neoplastic disease in koalas. Journal of General Virology 86, 783-787.

Wallis TP, Huang C-Y, Nimkar S, Young P and Gorman JJ (2004). Determination of the disulfide bond arrangement of dengue virus NS1 protein. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 279, 20729-20741.

Morton CJ, Cameron R, Lawrence L J, Lin B, Lowe, M, Luttick A, Mason A, McKimm-Breschkin J, Parker M W, Ryan J, Smout M, Tucker S P and Young P R. (2003). Structural characterisation of respiratory syncytial virus fusion inhibitor escape mutants: homology model of the F protein and a syncytia formation assay. Virology 311, 275-288.

Libraty D H, Young P R, Pickering D, Endy T, Kalayanarooj S, Green S, Vaughn D W, Nisalak A, Ennis F A and Rothman A L. (2002). High circulating levels of the dengue virus nonstructural protein NS1 early in dengue illness correlate with the development of dengue hemorrhagic fever. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 186, 1165-1168 (2002).

Professional Associations:

Australian Society for Microbiology

Australian Virology Group

American Society for Microbiology

Society for General Microbiology (UK)

Postdoctoral Staff:

MCELNEA Catriona - The University of Queensland
LIEBSCHER Susann - The University of Queensland

Students:

SURAWEERA Samanthi - BSc(Hons)
PANETTA Adele - BSc(Hons)
HYDE Jennifer - HON
KHLENTZOS Alexander - HON
SIMMONS Gregory - PhD
FOTHERGILL Thomas - PhD
PANETTA Adele - PhD
CHAPPELL Keith - PhD
DESAI Vishal - PhD
KAMPMANN Thorsten - PhD
MEYER Michelle - PhD
MULLER David - PhD
WATTERSON Daniel - PhD
CAMPBELL Phillipa - PhD
PICKERING Darren - PhD
TARLINTON Rachael - PhD
CHARLIER Nathalie
HANS Dhiraj - PhD
KHOSHNEJAD Makan - MPhil
DU PREEZ Patrick - PhD
SHANKS Melissa - PhD
HUYNH Duyen