Vera Tarakanova, PhD

Associate Professor

Locations

Microbiology & Immunology
BSB B2350

Contact Information

General Interests

Virus-associated Tumorigenesis , Virus-host Interactions

Education

PhD, Microbiology, Saint Louis University
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Washington University

Learn more about the Tarakanova Laboratory

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.

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 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85096815723 09/25/2020
Innate immunity and alpha/gammaherpesviruses: first impressions last a lifetime.

(Jondle CN, Tarakanova VL.) Curr Opin Virol. 2020 Oct;44:81-89 PMID: 32777757 PMCID: PMC7755754 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85089150436 08/11/2020
B Cell-Intrinsic Expression of Interferon Regulatory Factor 1 Supports Chronic Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Infection.

(Jondle CN, Johnson KE, Uitenbroek AA, Sylvester PA, Nguyen C, Cui W, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2020 06 16;94(13) PMID: 32321819 PMCID: PMC7307145 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85086682413 04/24/2020
Gammaherpesviruses and B Cells: A Relationship That Lasts a Lifetime.

(Johnson KE, Tarakanova VL.) Viral Immunol. 2020 05;33(4):316-326 PMID: 31913773 PMCID: PMC7247026 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85084694556 01/09/2020
B Cell-Intrinsic SHP1 Expression Promotes the Gammaherpesvirus-Driven Germinal Center Response and the Establishment of Chronic Infection.

(Johnson KE, Lange PT, Jondle CN, Volberding PJ, Lorenz UM, Cui W, Dittel BN, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2019 12 12;94(1) PMID: 31597758 PMCID: PMC6912115 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85076447506 10/11/2019
Antiviral activity of a purine synthesis enzyme reveals a key role of deamidation in regulating protein nuclear import.

(Li J, Zhao J, Xu S, Zhang S, Zhang J, Xiao J, Gao R, Tian M, Zeng Y, Lee K, Tarakanova V, Lan K, Feng H, Feng P.) Sci Adv. 2019 10;5(10):eaaw7373 PMID: 31633017 PMCID: PMC6785261 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85073598592 10/22/2019
The Role of Metabolic Flexibility in the Regulation of the DNA Damage Response by Nitric Oxide.

(Oleson BJ, Broniowska KA, Yeo CT, Flancher M, Naatz A, Hogg N, Tarakanova VL, Corbett JA.) Mol Cell Biol. 2019 09 15;39(18) PMID: 31235477 PMCID: PMC6712938 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85071713105 06/27/2019
γ-herpesvirus latency attenuates Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in mice.

(Miller HE, Johnson KE, Tarakanova VL, Robinson RT.) Tuberculosis (Edinb). 2019 05;116:56-60 PMID: 31153519 PMCID: PMC6876742 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85065133940 06/04/2019
Conserved Gammaherpesvirus Protein Kinase Selectively Promotes Irrelevant B Cell Responses.

(Darrah EJ, Jondle CN, Johnson KE, Xin G, Lange PT, Cui W, Olteanu H, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2019 04 15;93(8) PMID: 30728267 PMCID: PMC6450124 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85064240079 02/08/2019
LXR Alpha Restricts Gammaherpesvirus Reactivation from Latently Infected Peritoneal Cells.

(Lange PT, Jondle CN, Darrah EJ, Johnson KE, Tarakanova VL.) J Virol. 2019 03 15;93(6) PMID: 30602604 PMCID: PMC6401431 01/04/2019
Chewing the Fat: The Conserved Ability of DNA Viruses to Hijack Cellular Lipid Metabolism.

(Lange PT, Lagunoff M, Tarakanova VL.) Viruses. 2019 01 29;11(2) PMID: 30699959 PMCID: PMC6409581 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85060921396 02/01/2019
Single-cell RNA sequencing unveils an IL-10-producing helper subset that sustains humoral immunity during persistent infection.

(Xin G, Zander R, Schauder DM, Chen Y, Weinstein JS, Drobyski WR, Tarakanova V, Craft J, Cui W.) Nat Commun. 2018 11 28;9(1):5037 PMID: 30487586 PMCID: PMC6261948 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85057571059 11/30/2018

Microbiology & Immunology