Edward Mocarski

Research/Lab website:   http://cmgm.stanford.edu/micro/fac/mocarski.html

Our studies focus on human and mouse cytomegaloviruses (CMV), related herpes viruses, and the most complex of animal viruses, carrying more than 200 genes. We have characterized functions involved in viral growth (regulation of gene expression, replication, recombination, genome packaging) and pathogenesis (tissue tropism, latency) using approaches that include molecular genetics, cell biology and biochemistry. We employ a range of molecular genetic methods to engineer precise mutations into these viral genomes. This approach has been particularly useful with regard to viral functions regulating tissue tropism and latency. Areas of current interest:

1) Genetic and biochemical analysis of functions involved in regulation of viral gene expression, including transcriptional regulatory proteins as well as functions that regulate posttranscriptional events.

2) Analysis of the DNA replication origins employed by CMV to replicate the viral genome during lytic and latent growth and identification of viral functions involved in DNA replication.

3) Investigation of viral determinants controlling CMV dissemination, tissue tropism and pathogenesis.

4) Investigation of the mechanism of CMV latency in bone marrow-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells, including analysis of proteins that are specifically encoded during latency.

5) Investigation of viral anti-apoptotic functions.

6) Investigation of viral functions conferring virulence.

CMV is implicated in a variety of acute and chronic disease states. We have ongoing collaborations with the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Division of Cardiology (Department of Medicine) to evaluate CMV latency and reactivation in donors and transplant recipients.