
Kaitlin Johnson
Graduate Student
Locations
- Microbiology & Immunology
Contact Information
Biography
Year Entered MCW: 2015
Previous Education: BS, Biology, St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI, 2015
Research Interests
My research area focuses on virus/host interactions in the context of gammaherpesvirus infection.
“I joined the Tarakanova lab because I enjoy studying virus/host interactions and immunology. I am interested in studying the host factors that affect gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis. In particular, my research focuses on the host factor Shp1, a phosphatase that is expressed primarily in immune cells. I address the questions of how deficiencies in Shp1 within B and T cells alter the chronic infection of the virus in our mouse model system, and the mechanism by which Shp1 is functioning.”