search
Advanced Search
Skip navigation links
Graduate ProgramExpand Graduate Program
Faculty
Core Facilities & Shared ResourcesExpand Core Facilities & Shared Resources
CurriculumExpand Curriculum
Student LifeExpand Student Life
Seminars & EventsExpand Seminars & Events
Inquire Online
Apply Online
Postdoctoral Network
Contact Us
GPILS
Home
 
Laure Aurelian, Ph.D.
Professor

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
School of Medicine

410-706-3895

laurelia@umaryland.edu

Research

Our laboratory studies signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis and has pioneered the application of antisense chemotherapy to the control of virus infections.

Current studies focus on the use of a HSV-2 gene with serine-threonine protein kinase function (ICP10 PK) that activates the ERK signaling pathway in gene therapy of neurological disorders that involve apoptosis. We cloned a cellular gene (H11) homologous to ICP10 PK that codes for a heat shock protein and showed that its overexpression causes apoptosis in melanoma cells.

Ongoing studies are focused on understanding the molecular mechanism of H11 induced apoptosis, its regulation and its role in melanoma development. Additional interests are in the molecular and immunological aspects of HSV-associated erythema multiforme, a recurrent cutaneous disease that follows HSV recurrences.

Our laboratory developed an immunotherapeutic vaccine that prevents HSV recurrences and is currently in clinical trials.



Lab Techniques

Wide spectrum of molecular and cellular biology, virology and immunology techniques including gene cloning, site-directed, deletion and insertion mutagenesis, gene expression, gene arrays, differential gene expression, yeast-two hybrid assays, promoter studies, cell proliferation and apoptosis assays, development of virus vectors and vaccines and T cell assays.

Publications

Smith, C.C., Yu, Y. X., Kulka, M., Aurelian, L. A novel human gene similar to the PK coding domain of the large subunit of herpes simplex virus type 2 ribonucleotide reductase (ICP10) codes for a serine-threonine PK and is expressed in melanoma cells. J. Biol. Chem. 275:25690-25699, 2000

Smith, C.C., Kulka, M., Aurelian, L. Modified adenovirus penton base protein (UTARVE) as a non-replicating vector for delivery of antisense oligonucleotides with antiviral and/or antineoplastic activity. Int. J. Oncol. 17:841-850, 2000

Smith, C. C., Nelson, J., Gober, M., Aurelian, L., Goswami, B. B. Binding of the GTP activating protein RAS-GAP by the PK domain of the large subunit of herpes simplex virus type 2 ribonucleotide reductase (ICP10 PK) and activation of the RAS/MEK/MAPK mitogenic pathway are required for timely onset of HSV-2 growth. J. Virol. 74:10417-10429, 2000

Wachsman, M., Kulka, M., Smith, C.C. and Aurelian, L. A growth and latency defective herpes simplex virus type 2 mutant (ICP10DPK) has prophylactic and therapeutic protective activity in guinea pigs. Vaccine 19: 1879-1890, 2001.

Aurelian, L., Smith, C. C., Winchurch, R., Kulka, M., Zaccaro, L., Gyotoku, T, Chrest, F. J. Burnett, J. W. A novel gene expressed in human keratinocytes with long term growth potential is required for cell growth. J. Invest. Dermatol. 116:286-295, 2001

Perkins, D., Pereira, E. F. R., Gober, M. D., Yarowsky, P.J., Aurelian, L. The herpes simplex virus type 2 R1 protein kinase (ICP10 PK) blocks apoptosis in hippocampal neurons involving activation of the MEK/MAPK signaling pathway. J. Virol. 76:1435-1449, 2002

Perkins, D., Yu, Y., Bambrick, L. L., Yarowsky, P. J. Expression of Herpes simplex virus type 2 protein ICP10PK rescues neurons from apoptosis due to serum deprivation and genetic defects. Exp. Neurol. 174:118-122, 2002

Aurelian, L. HSV-Induced apoptosis in herpes encephalitis. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology 289: 79-112, 2005

Gober, M.D., Wales, S.Q., and Aurelian, L. Herpes simplex virus type 2 encodes a heat shock protein homologue with apoptosis regulatory functions. Frontiers in Bioscience 10, 2788-2803, 2005

Gober, M.D., Depre, C., Aurelian, L. Correspondence regarding M.V. Kim et al. "Some properties of the human small heat shock protein Hsp22 (H11 or HspB8). Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 321:267-268, 2004

Gober, M.D., Wales, S.Q., Hunter, J.C., Sharma, B.K., Aurelian, L. Stress upregulates neuronal expression of the HSV-2 large subunit of ribonucleotide reductase (R1; ICP10) by activating AP-1. J. Neurovirol. 11:1-8, 2005

Ono, F., Sharma, B.K., Smith, C.C. Burnett, J.W., Aurelian, L. CD34+ cells in the peripheral blood transport herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA fragments to the skin of patients with erythema multiforme (HAEM). J. Invest Dermatol. 124: 1215-1224, 2005

Laing, J.M., Gober, M.D., Golembewski, E.K., Thompson, S. M., Gyure, K.A., Yarowski, P.J. and Aurelian, L. Intranasal administration of the growth compromised HSV-2 vector deltaRR prevents  kainate induced seizures and neuronal loss in rats and mice. Mol Therapy. In press, 2006

Sharma, B.K., Smith, C.C., Rucker, D., Laing, J.M., Burnett, J.W., Aurelian, L Aberrant DNA methylation silences the novel heat shock protein H11 in melanoma, but not benign melanocytic lesions. Dermatology, In press, 2006

Personal History

M. Sc., Tel-Aviv University, Israel

PhD., Johns Hopkins University, USA

Laboratory Personnel

Current Ph.D. Students:
- Jennifer Laing
- Aric Colunga
Recent Ph.D. Students:
- Samantha Wells
- Michael Gober
- John Nelson
- Tao Peng
- Dana Perkins
Recent Postdoctoral Trainees:
- Fumitake Ono
- Kaori Ueda
- Rui He
- Yanxing Yu
- Takahiro Gyotoku
- Hisashi Kokuba
- Shinichiri Imafuku
- Jia Zhu

Back to All Faculty


School of Medicine | Dental School | Graduate School | University of Maryland, Baltimore
Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB) | Medical Biotechnology Center (MBC)

Please read the disclaimer concerning use of this University of Maryland School of Medicine site.

® University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore MD 21201
site maintained by moderntymes.com