
Vera Tarakanova, PhD
Associate Professor
Locations
- Microbiology & Immunology
BSB B2350
Contact Information
General Interests
Education
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Washington University
Research Experience
- Ataxia Telangiectasia
- B-Lymphocytes
- Cholesterol
- Gammaherpesvirinae
- Germinal Center
- Host-Pathogen Interactions
- Interferon Regulatory Factor-1
- Interferon Regulatory Factor-3
- Interferons
- Liver X Receptors
- Macrophages
- Protein Kinases
Research Interests
I have a long-standing interest in virus-host interactions, particularly as it applies to cancer-associated viruses. Our current research focuses on gammaherpesviruses. Gammaherpesviruses infect >95% of all humans and the infection is never cleared. Importantly, gammaherpesviruses drive the development of several malignancies, including lymphomas. While it is clear that not every infected human will develop virus-driven lymphoma, the risk factors for viral lymphomagenesis remain poorly defined and it is next to impossible to predict individual’s risk of developing gammaherpesvirus-driven cancer, a knowledge gap we aim to tackle.
Our research group utilizes the mouse gammaherpesvirus-68 (MHV68) model to study the entire spectrum of virus-host interactions: from viral and cellular molecular mechanisms using cultures of primary immune cells to chronic infection of an intact host to viral pathogenesis. Our group’s research interests are broad and interdisciplinary and span several fields, including molecular and cellular biology, signaling networks, animal models of viral infection and disease, innate and adaptive immune responses, and metabolism. Our trainees become highly sought-after interdisciplinary scientists, with the training supported by numerous external and internal collaborations.
Publications
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(Jondle CN, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2022 Jun 27:e0063922 PMID: 35758659 06/28/2022
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(Lee J, Cullum E, Stoltz K, Bachmann N, Strong Z, Millick DD, Denzin LK, Chang A, Tarakanova V, Chervonsky AV, Golovkina T.) J Immunol. 2021 Nov 22 PMID: 34810225 PMCID: PMC9124240 11/24/2021
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(Jondle CN, Johnson KE, Mboko WP, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2021 09 27;95(20):e0072621 PMID: 34346769 PMCID: PMC8475519 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85116357074 08/05/2021
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MyD88 is an essential regulator of NK cell-mediated clearance of MCMV infection.
(Dixon KJ, Siebert JR, Wang D, Abel AM, Johnson KE, Riese MJ, Terhune SS, Tarakanova VL, Thakar MS, Malarkannan S.) Mol Immunol. 2021 09;137:94-104 PMID: 34242922 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85109126048 07/10/2021
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(Sylvester PA, Jondle CN, Stoltz KP, Lanham J, Dittel BN, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2021 08 10;95(17):e0085921 PMID: 34132573 PMCID: PMC8354328 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85112297903 06/17/2021
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(Aurubin CA, Knaack DA, Sahoo D, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2021 08 10;95(17):e0064921 PMID: 34105999 PMCID: PMC8354329 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85112335753 06/10/2021
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MHC Class II Presentation Is Affected by Polymorphism in the H2-Ob Gene and Additional Loci.
(Cullum E, Graves AM, Tarakanova VL, Denzin LK, Golovkina T.) J Immunol. 2021 07 01;207(1):5-14 PMID: 34135064 PMCID: PMC8674376 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85109029270 06/18/2021
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(Johnson KE, Sylvester PA, Jondle CN, Aurubin CA, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2021 04 12;95(9) PMID: 33597211 PMCID: PMC8104109 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85104276444 02/19/2021
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Gammaherpesvirus Usurps Host IL-17 Signaling To Support the Establishment of Chronic Infection.
(Jondle CN, Johnson KE, Aurubin C, Sylvester P, Xin G, Cui W, Huppler AR, Tarakanova VL.) mBio. 2021 04 06;12(2) PMID: 33824206 PMCID: PMC8092251 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85103513895 04/08/2021
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(Vonderhaar EP, Barnekow NS, McAllister D, McOlash L, Eid MA, Riese MJ, Tarakanova VL, Johnson BD, Dwinell MB.) Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021;12(1):41-58 PMID: 33548597 PMCID: PMC8081932 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85104314508 02/07/2021
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Interferon Regulatory Factor 7 Attenuates Chronic Gammaherpesvirus Infection.
(Johnson KE, Aurubin CA, Jondle CN, Lange PT, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2020 11 23;94(24) PMID: 32967960 PMCID: PMC7925175 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85096815723 09/25/2020
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Innate immunity and alpha/gammaherpesviruses: first impressions last a lifetime.
(Jondle CN, Tarakanova VL.) Curr Opin Virol. 2020 10;44:81-89 PMID: 32777757 PMCID: PMC7755754 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85089150436 08/11/2020