Ann M. Arvin

Our laboratory investigates the molecular virology of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection, focusing on the functional roles of particular viral gene products in pathogenesis and virus-cell interactions in differentiated human cells in humans and in Scid-hu mouse models of VZV cell tropisms in vivo, and the immunobiology of VZV infections. Aspects of VZV infection are being investigated in the Scid-hu mouse models that have human skin, T cell and neural xenografts. Mutant strains of VZV are being developed from cosmids; recombinant strains are being tested for the effects of deletions, point mutations and linker insertions on T cell tropism and on latency. The role of VZV glycoproteins on the cytoskeletal rearrangements that occur to mediate syncytial formation is being investigated with deletion mutants. Viral protein kinases are being evaluated as virulence factors in vivo and in vitro with deletion mutants. The ultimate goal of these studies is to provide information relevant to developing new genetically engineered vaccines for VZV. In addition to basic research, our laboratory is involved with clinical vaccine studies to examine T-cell responses to VZV induced by varicella vaccine in healthy and immunocompromised individuals, T cell immunity to influenza viruses, and age-related effects on the development of measles immunity in infants.