Patrizia Caposio
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Patrizia Caposio received her B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Turin, Italy, in 1999. She obtained her Master in Microbiology and Virology in 2004 and her doctorate degree in Biochemistry in 2007 from the Department of Public Health and Microbiology, University of Turin. During 2007-2009 she became a research assistant professor at the University of Turin. During her training she focused her research on molecular mechanisms of the interactions between Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and host cells. In particular, she developed the following topics: 1) study of the replication strategies of HCMV in post-mitotic cells and the determination of its ability to regulate the expression of genes and cellular enzymes involved in the viral replicative cycle; and 2) mechanisms of chronic disease due to HCMV persistent infection. She is currently an assistant scientist at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, OHSU.
RESEARCH OVERVIEW
The focus of my research is to understand the molecular mechanisms of the interaction between Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and host cells. In particular, the topics I am interested in are:
1) To identify the mechanisms of chronic disease due to HCMV persistent infection: the importance and the interest of HCMV as a pathogen has increased over the past two decades, with the escalation in the number of immunosuppressed patients, undergoing immunosuppressive therapy following either solid organ or bone marrow transplantation. Epidemiological and animal studies have been linked HCMV infection to the development of vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, restenosis and transplant vascular sclerosis: however, the mechanisms involved in this process remain unknown. A growing body of evidence supports a role for angiogenesis and wound healing in the development of vascular disease. For this reason the goal of my laboratory is to understand how the virus induces angiogenesis. In particular we are trying to identify the class of viral gene(s) involved in this process as well as the critical cellular factors secreted from infected cells induced by these gene(s) that induce angiogenesis.
2) To develop a Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-based vaccine for HIV: in collaboration with Dr. Picker, Dr. Früh and Dr. Nelson we are designing the human version of the CMV-based vaccine that has already been shown to protect monkeys from multiple-challenge with SIV.
SELECTED REFERENCES
Caposio P., Dreano M., Garotta G., Gribaudo G. and Landolfo S. Human cytomegalovirus stimulates cellular IKK2 activity and requires the enzyme for productive replication. J. Virol., 78:3190-3195, 2004.
Caposio P., Musso T., Luganini A., Inoue H., Gariglio M., Landolfo S. and Gribaudo G. Targeting the NF-kappaB pathway through pharmacological inhibition of IKK2 prevents human cytomegalovirus replication and virus-induced inflammatory response in infected endothelial cells. Antiviral Res., 73(3):175-84, 2007.
Caposio P., Luganini A., Hahn G., Landolfo S. and Gribaudo G. Activation of the virus-induced IKK/NF-kappaB signalling axis is critical for the replication of human cytomegalovirus in quiescent cells. Cell. Microbiol., 9(8):2040-54, 2007.
Caposio P., Luganini A., Bronzini M., Landolfo S. and Gribaudo G. The Elk-1 and Serum Response Factor binding sites in the Major Immediate-Early promoter of the Human Cytomegalovirus are required for efficient viral replication in quiescent cells and compensate for inactivation of the NF-{kappa}B sites in proliferating cells. J. Virol. 84(9):4481-4493, 2010.
Caposio P., Orloff S.L. and Streblow D.N. The role of cytomegalovirus in angiogenesis. Virus Res. 157(2):204-11, 2011.
Botto S., Streblow D.N., Defilippis V., White L., Kreklywich C.N., Smith P.P and Caposio P. IL-6 in human cytomegalovirus secretome promotes angiogenesis and survival of endothelial cells through the stimulation of survivin. Blood. 117(1):352-61, 2011.
Tsuda Y., Caposio P., Parkins C.J., Botto S., Messaoudi I., Cicin-Sain L., Feldmann H. and Jarvis M.A. A replicating Cytomegalovirus-based vaccine encoding a single Ebola virus nucleoprotein CTL epitope confers protection against Ebola virus. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis. 5(8):e1275, 2011.
