 | Nicholas Carbonetti,
Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Graduate Program Director, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
School of Medicine
410-706-7677
ncarbone@umaryland.edu
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ResearchThe general interest in my laboratory includes (i) molecular and cellular mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity, (ii) immune and inflammatory responses to bacterial infection, and (iii) cell biology of bacterial toxins. Specifically, we are studying the role of virulence factors in infection and disease caused by the bacterial pathogen Bordetella pertussis, the cause of the childhood disease whooping cough or pertussis. We are particularly interested in the role played by pertussis toxin and its effects on the host immune response, including stimulation of a Th17 response. We are using a mouse model of infection and immunity to study this host-pathogen interaction, and we are developing a guinea pig infection model in an attempt to study the cough associated with this pertussis disease.
Bordetella pertussis infection | 
Pertussis toxin intracellular trafficking |
Lab TechniquesBacteriology, cell and molecular biology, animal infection models, analysis of immune responses, microscopy.
PublicationsPlaut, R, and Carbonetti, NH (2008) Retrograde transport of pertussis toxin in the mammalian cell. Cellular Microbiology 10:1130-1139
Worthington, ZEV, and Carbonetti, NH (2007) Evading the Proteasome: Absence of lysine residues contributes to pertussis toxin activity by evasion of proteasome degradation. Infection & Immunity 75:2946-2953
Carbonetti, NH, Artamonova, GV, van Rooijen, N, and Ayala, VI (2007) Pertussis toxin targets airway macrophages to promote Bordetella pertussis infection of the respiratory tract. Infection & Immunity 75:1713-1720
Carbonetti, NH, Artamonova, GV, Andreasen, C, Bushar, N (2005) Pertussis toxin and adenylate cyclase toxin provide a one-two punch for establishment of Bordetella pertussis infection of the respiratory tract. Infection & Immunity 73:2698-2703
Carbonetti, NH, Mays, RM, Artamonova, GV, Plaut, RD and Worthington, ZEV (2005) Proteolytic cleavage of pertussis toxin S1 subunit is not essential for its activity in mammalian cells. BMC Microbiology 5:7
Carbonetti, NH, Artamonova, G, Andreasen, C, Dudley, E, Mays, RM, and Worthington, ZEV (2004) Suppression of serum antibody responses by pertussis toxin after respiratory tract colonization by Bordetella pertussis and identification of an immunodominant lipoprotein. Infection & Immunity 72:3350-3358
Carbonetti, NH, Artamonova, G, Mays, RM, and Worthington, ZEV (2003) Pertussis toxin plays an early role in respiratory tract colonization by Bordetella pertussis. Infection & Immunity 71:6358-6366
Carbonetti, NH, Tuskan, RG, and Lewis, GK (2001) Stimulation of HIV gp120-specific CTL responses in vitro and in vivo using a detoxified pertussis toxin vector. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses 17(9):819-827
Castro, M, McNamara, U, and Carbonetti, NH (2001) Expression, activity and cytotoxicity of pertussis toxin S1 subunit in transfected mammalian cells. Cellular Microbiology 3:45-54
Kinnear, S, Marques, R, and Carbonetti, NH (2001) Differential Bvg regulation of virulence factors determines full virulence of Bordetella pertussis. Infection & Immunity 69: 1983-1993 Personal HistoryI grew up in London, England and graduated with a BS from University of Birmingham and PhD from University of Leicester in the UK. I came to the US in 1985 and did postdoctoral research at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill with Fred Sparling, working on the molecular pathogenesis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. After that I spent a year and a half at the Sclavo Research Center in Siena, Italy (my father was from nearby Florence) working with Rino Rappuoli on Bordetella pertussis pathogenicity and gene regulation. I returned to the US and took a faculty position here at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1991. In 2002 I was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure, and in 2005 I took over as Director of the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program within GPILS. I am married (to Tracy Irish) with 3 school-age children (Julia, Christopher and Michael). Laboratory PersonnelVictor Ayala, vayal001@umaryland.edu , 4th year Molecular Microbiology & Immunology graduate student, working on exacerbation of influenza infection by B. pertussis infection
Carlita Phillip, cphil002@umaryland.edu , 2nd year Molecular Microbiology & Immunology graduate student, working on role of airway macrophages in protection against B. pertussis infection
Matthew Graham, Research Assistant, working on role of pertussis toxin in B. pertussis infection 
Victor, Charlotte, Roger, Zoe, Nick, Galina |
Other Resources Recent Publication - Infect Immun June 07
Recent Publication - Infect Immun April 07
Recent Publication - Infect Immun 05
Recent Publication - Infect Immun 04
Recent Publication - Infect Immun 03
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