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Research Bench Lab
Vera Tarakanova, PhD

Vera Tarakanova, PhD

Professor

Locations

  • Microbiology & Immunology
    BSB B2350

Contact Information

General Interests

Virus-associated Tumorigenesis , Virus-host Interactions

Education

PhD, Microbiology, Saint Louis University
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Washington University

Research Experience

  • Ataxia Telangiectasia
  • B-Lymphocytes
  • Cholesterol
  • Gammaherpesvirinae
  • Germinal Center
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions
  • Interferon Regulatory Factor-1
  • Interferon Regulatory Factor-3
  • Interferons
  • Liver X Receptors
  • Macrophages
  • Protein Kinases

Research Interests

I have a long-standing interest in virus-host interactions, particularly as it applies to cancer-associated viruses. Our current research focuses on gammaherpesviruses. Gammaherpesviruses infect >95% of all humans and the infection is never cleared. Importantly, gammaherpesviruses drive the development of several malignancies, including lymphomas. While it is clear that not every infected human will develop virus-driven lymphoma, the risk factors for viral lymphomagenesis remain poorly defined and it is next to impossible to predict individual’s risk of developing gammaherpesvirus-driven cancer, a knowledge gap we aim to tackle.

Our research group utilizes the mouse gammaherpesvirus-68 (MHV68) model to study the entire spectrum of virus-host interactions: from viral and cellular molecular mechanisms using cultures of primary immune cells to chronic infection of an intact host to viral pathogenesis. Our group’s research interests are broad and interdisciplinary and span several fields, including molecular and cellular biology, signaling networks, animal models of viral infection and disease, innate and adaptive immune responses, and metabolism. Our trainees become highly sought-after interdisciplinary scientists, with the training supported by numerous external and internal collaborations.

Publications

  • (Johansen ER, Schmalzriedt DL, Avila D, Sylvester PA, Rahlf CR, Bobek JM, Sahoo D, Dittel BN, Tarakanova VL.) mBio. 2024 Nov 13;15(11):e0159824 PMID: 39440973 PMCID: PMC11559066 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85209155857 10/23/2024

  • (Huss NP, Majeed ST, Wills BM, Tarakanova VL, Brockman KL, Jondle CN.) Virology. 2024 Sep;597:110153 PMID: 38941745 PMCID: PMC11257779 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85196778582 06/29/2024

  • (Goodrum F, Lowen AC, Lakdawala S, Alwine J, Casadevall A, Imperiale MJ, Atwood W, Avgousti D, Baines J, Banfield B, Banks L, Bhaduri-McIntosh S, Bhattacharya D, Blanco-Melo D, Bloom D, Boon A, Boulant S, Brandt C, Broadbent A, Brooke C, Cameron C, Campos S, Caposio P, Chan G, Cliffe A, Coffin J, Collins K, Damania B, Daugherty M, Debbink K, DeCaprio J, Dermody T, Dikeakos J, DiMaio D, Dinglasan R, Duprex WP, Dutch R, Elde N, Emerman M, Enquist L, Fane B, Fernandez-Sesma A, Flenniken M, Frappier L, Frieman M, Frueh K, Gack M, Gaglia M, Gallagher T, Galloway D, García-Sastre A, Geballe A, Glaunsinger B, Goff S, Greninger A, Hancock M, Harris E, Heaton N, Heise M, Heldwein E, Hogue B, Horner S, Hutchinson E, Hyser J, Jackson W, Kalejta R, Kamil J, Karst S, Kirchhoff F, Knipe D, Kowalik T, Lagunoff M, Laimins L, Langlois R, Lauring A, Lee B, Leib D, Liu SL, Longnecker R, Lopez C, Luftig M, Lund J, Manicassamy B, McFadden G, McIntosh M, Mehle A, Miller WA, Mohr I, Moody C, Moorman N, Moscona A, Mounce B, Munger J, Münger K, Murphy E, Naghavi M, Nelson J, Neufeldt C, Nikolich J, O'Connor C, Ono A, Orenstein W, Ornelles D, Ou JH, Parker J, Parrish C, Pekosz A, Pellett P, Pfeiffer J, Plemper R, Polyak S, Purdy J, Pyeon D, Quinones-Mateu M, Renne R, Rice C, Schoggins J, Roller R, Russell C, Sandri-Goldin R, Sapp M, Schang L, Schmid S, Schultz-Cherry S, Semler B, Shenk T, Silvestri G, Simon V, Smith G, Smith J, Spindler K, Stanifer M, Subbarao K, Sundquist W, Suthar M, Sutton T, Tai A, Tarakanova V, tenOever B, Tibbetts S, Tompkins S, Toth Z, van Doorslaer K, Vignuzzi M, Wallace N, Walsh D, Weekes M, Weinberg J, Weitzman M, Weller S, Whelan S, White E, Williams B, Wobus C, Wong S, Yurochko A.) mSphere. 2023 Apr 20;8(2):e0003423 PMID: 36700653 PMCID: PMC10117089 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85153410112 01/27/2023

  • (Kasmani MY, Zander R, Chung HK, Chen Y, Khatun A, Damo M, Topchyan P, Johnson KE, Levashova D, Burns R, Lorenz UM, Tarakanova VL, Joshi NS, Kaech SM, Cui W.) J Exp Med. 2023 Jan 02;220(1) PMID: 36315049 PMCID: PMC9623343 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85140941501 11/01/2022

  • (Sylvester PA, Corbett JA, Tarakanova VL.) Virology. 2022 Nov;576:134-140 PMID: 36244319 PMCID: PMC10069094 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85139738671 10/17/2022

  • (Jondle CN, Sylvester PA, Schmalzriedt DL, Njoya K, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2022 Oct 26;96(20):e0126022 PMID: 36169331 PMCID: PMC9599343 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85140856863 09/29/2022

  • (Sylvester PA, Jondle CN, Schmalzriedt DL, Dittel BN, Tarakanova VL.) mBio. 2022 Aug 30;13(4):e0210722 PMID: 35968944 PMCID: PMC9430880 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85137124604 08/16/2022

  • (Jondle CN, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2022 Jul 27;96(14):e0063922 PMID: 35758659 PMCID: PMC9327704 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85135198022 06/28/2022

  • (Sylvester PA, Corbett JA, Tarakanova VL.) Virology. November 2022;576:134-140 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85139738671 11/01/2022

  • (Lee J, Cullum E, Stoltz K, Bachmann N, Strong Z, Millick DD, Denzin LK, Chang A, Tarakanova V, Chervonsky AV, Golovkina T.) J Immunol. 2021 Dec 15;207(12):2944-2951 PMID: 34810225 PMCID: PMC9124240 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85134177854 11/24/2021