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WORKSHOP IN VIROLOGY
5-7 January 2015
EDIFICIO DE CIENCIAS BIOMÉDICAS, FACULTAD DE MEDICINA, UNIVERSIDAD AUSTRAL DE
CHILE. VALDIVIA, CHILE
MONDAY 5
17:00-18:00
Herpes simplex virus host shutoff nucleases.
Dr. James Smiley, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry,
University of Alberta, Canada.
18:00-19:00
Translation initiation of HIV-1 full legnth mRNA
Dr. Marcelo Lopez-Lastra, Departamento de Infectología e Inmunología Pediátrica, Laboratorio de
Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Médicas, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad
Católica de Chile.
TUESDAY 6
9:00-10:00
Role of Rab proteins in HIV-1 assembly.
Dr. Matias Ostrowski, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA. UBA-CONICET.
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos aires, Argentina.
10:00-11:00
Neuronal dysfunction during herpes simplex virus infection.
Dr. Carola Otth, Instituto de Microbiología Clínica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Austral de Chile.
11:00-11:30
Coffe-Break
11:30-12:30
From mRNA translation to ANDV-host interactions
Dr. Marcelo Lopez-Lastra, Departamento de Infectología e Inmunología Pediátrica, Laboratorio de
Virología Molecular, Centro de Investigaciones Médicas, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad
Católica de Chile.
12:30-13:00
Increased glucose metabolic activity is associated with CD4+ T-cell activation and depletion during
chronic HIV infection.
Dr. Matias Ostrowski, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA. UBA-CONICET.
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos aires, Argentina.
15:00-15:30
Alteración de la maquinaria ERAD durante infección por herpes simplex virus tipo 1 en células de tipo
neuronal
Marukel Salamin, Doctorado en Ciencias mención Microbiología, Universidad Austral de Chile.
15:30-16:00
Caracterización in vitro del mecanismo inmunosupresor mediado por IER3 y A20 durante infección
por virus de la diarrea viral bovina tipo 1
Melina Villalba, Doctorado en Ciencias mención Microbiología, Universidad Austral de Chile.
16:00-16:30
Rol funcional de la proteína postsináptica Arc en la red endosomal durante una infección neuronal por
Herpes Simplex Virus Tipo 1
Francisca Acuña, Magister en Ciencias mención Microbiología, Universidad Austral de Chile.
16:30-17:00
Alteration of neuronal Golgi complex during infection by herpes simplex virus type 1. Role of SrcDynamin 2 cell signaling activation.
Carolina Martin, Doctorado en Ciencias mención Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad Austral de
Chile.
17:00-17:30
Coffe-Break
18:00-19:00
Herpes simplex virus manipulation of host signaling pathways.
Dr. James Smiley, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry,
University of Alberta, Canada
WEDNESDAY 7
9:00-10:00
Protein homeostasis mechanisms: possible implications in viral pathogenesis.
Dr. Patricia Burgos, Instituto de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Austral de Chile.
10:00-11:00
Molecular insights into Andes hantavirus cell entry and cell exit
Dr. Nicole Tischler, Molecular Virology Laboratory, Fundación Ciencia & Vida.
11:00-11:30
Coffe-Break
11:30-12:30
How protein X-ray crystallography can help the fight against Andes hantavirus.
Dr. Gonzalo Mardones, Instituto de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Austral de Chile.
SPEAKERS
Dr. James Smiley is professor of Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University
of Alberta, Canada. The main goal of Dr. Smiley’s laboratory is focused on how viral regulatory proteins function at the molecular
level, and how cellular antiviral responses inhibit viral replication. The hope is that increased understanding of host antiviral
defenses and viral immune evasion strategies will open up new approaches to controlling virus infections. Most of our work
focuses on herpes simplex virus (HSV), a ubiquitous human pathogen and the prototypical member of the herpesviridae, a large
family of enveloped DNA viruses that replicate in the nuclei of host cells. Recently we have also begun similar studies with HIV-1,
the retrovirus that causes AIDS.
Dr. Matias Ostrowski is a researcher of the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA, UBA-CONICET, Facultad
de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. The main focus of Dr. Ostrowski’s laboratory is centered on the intracellular
trafficking of the HIV-1 protein Gag towards the plasma membrane. To reach the plasma membrane, this viral protein hijacks
different intracellular pathways. In particular, the laboratory of Dr. Ostrowski studies the role played by different Rab GTPases in
the arrival of Gag to the plasma membrane. Moreover, they study the interaction between exosome secretion and HIV-1 assembly
and release. To perform these studies, they use different cell biology approaches, including confocal microscopy, cell fractionation,
exosome purification and characterization, analysis of plasma membrane lipids, etc. Finally, Dr. Ostrowski’s team has a vast
trajectory in silencing Rab proteins expression and analyzing their functionality.
Dr. Marcelo López-Lastra is professor of the School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Dr. López Lastra is also a
member of the Instituto Milenio de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia. Research in the laboratory of Dr. López-Lastra focuses on the
understanding of RNA viruses-host relationship mainly at the level of protein synthesis and innate immunity. Research projects
also include the study of the association between single nucleotide polymorphism polymorphisms virus pathogenicity and the
characterization of viral and cellular proteins that participate in virus replication.
Dr. Nicole Tischler is researcher at Fundación Ciencia & Vida. The work of her laboratory is focused on molecular mechanisms of
hantavirus cell entry and egress, involving the host cell machinery. These processes remain currently largely uncharacterized. After
binding of hantaviruses to cells, they are uptaken by clathrin-dependent and independent endocytosis and escape from
endosomal compartments by virus-cell membrane fusion. This step is crucial for the entry of the virus into cells, allowing the
release of the viral ribonucleocapsids into the host cell cytoplasm in order to initiate viral replication and gene expression. The
virus assembles and buds at host cell membranes, presumably at ER-Golgi compartments or alternatively at the plasma membrane
of the cell. The viral proteins that drive the budding process of Andes and Puumala hantaviruses are the viral envelope
glycoproteins. Research topics of the laboratory aim to further characterize these steps and have lead to the development of virus
entry inhibitors preventing the infection of human cells by Andes virus and other hantaviruses.
Dr. Patricia Burgos is Assistant Professor at the Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Universidad Austral de Chile.
Protein homeostasis is highly controlled by endoplasmic reticulum and lysosomes, organelles with a robust function in protein
degradation. At the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) several luminal and membrane proteins are efficiently degraded through their
translocation back to the cytosol, in a proteasome and ubiquitin-dependent manner, pathway known as ER associated degradation
(ERAD). Nearly 30% of all proteins are degraded by this mechanism controlling protein expression and cell plasticity. Lysosomes on
the other hand, are organelles fully enriched with hydrolytic enzyme that plays a central role in the disposal of several proteins
that are either engulfed into autophagosomes or incorporated to multivesicular-bodies (MVBs), degradation that control cellular
function and protein toxicity. It is well established that in several pathological conditions exists disruption in protein homeostasis,
including aging. The research efforts of my laboratory are focused on elucidating the molecular processes that would positively
impact ERAD and lysosomal function.
Dr. Gonzalo Mardones is Assistant Professor at the Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Universidad Austral de Chile.
The research focus in Dr. Mardones’s laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying protein sorting in the
secretory pathway, and how these mechanisms are disturbed in pathological conditions. Dr. Mardones is using X-ray
crystallography to study the function of a family of adaptor proteins necessary for protein sorting. These molecular machineries
are hijacked by several viruses, such as HIV, HHV-7 or NiV. His current efforts at understanding the structural bases of protein
sorting include the elucidation of the crystal structure of Andes hantavirus proteins, with the ultimate goal of envisioning a
therapeutic treatment.
Dr. Carola Otth is a researcher of the Instituto de Microbiología Clínica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Austral de Chile. The
research interest of Dr. Otth’s laboratory is mainly focused on the study of host-pathogen relationships, exploring the possible
cellular dysfunction, cytoskeleton dynamics and innate immune activation during viral infection. In fact, her group was the first to
demonstrate that in vitro HSV-1 neuronal infection is associated with several neurodegenerative features, such as tau
hyperphosphorylation and cleavage, modifications in the microtubular dynamics, damage in axonal and dendritic processes and
innate immune activation by TLR4 during latent infection. In this moment her group is focused to analyze virus-cell relationships,
especially metabolic signaling (AMPK/SIRT1 axis) involving in nutrient availability (linked to autophagy, lipogenesys, mitochondrial
biogenesis, apoptosis) and immune signaling, that is differentially modulated during pathogens infections.
Contact: Dr. Carola Otth, Instituto de Microbiología Clínica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad
Austral de Chile. cotth@uach.cl
Sponsor: Fondecyt 1120464, MECESUP AUS1203, DID-UACH, Escuela de Graduados Facultad de
Ciencias, Escuela de Graduados y Decanato Facultad de Medicina.