“I chose Wake Forest University after attending their interview weekend. Seeing the interactions between the faculty and students proved to me that this was a program where the faculty are genuinely invested in the progress of the students they admit. I also like the program structure, and how the emphasis is on becoming an independent scientist through research, rather than a class-based approach.”

The Role of the Paramyxovirus P protein in controlling mRNA synthesis and antiviral responses

The paramyxovirus P proteins play an important role as part of the viral RNA polymerase complex.  Previous work in our lab has shown that substitutions in the SV5 P/V gene result in a recombinant virus that has increased mRNA synthesis over the wild type virus, and now induces the production of IL-6 and IFN during infection.  Our lab has also shown that the presence of a WT P protein during infection with the recombinant virus decreases mRNA production and the induction of antiviral responses.  My project will determine the mechanism by which the P protein regulates mRNA synthesis, and determine if limiting the amount of mRNA produced during infection can also decrease the host cell antiviral responses induced by the recombinant P/V-CPI- virus.