Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust

sponsor of

Basic and Clinical Research Career Tracks in Internal Medicine at

Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center

Research Interests

HIV-1 Replication and Pathogenesis
Anti-HIV-1 Immune Response and Vaccine Development
Regulation of CD4+ T Cell Effector Function
Transplant Rejection and Cyclosporine Mechanism of Action

Research Activities

Study of retroviruses has led to major advances in fundamental biology, most notably the discovery of oncogenes and the modification of the central dogma. In this spirit, we investigate mechanisms of HIV-1 replication and pathogenesis with the goal of advancing understanding of the basic workings of the cell. The simplicity of the HIV-1 genome renders the virus dependent upon host cell machinery at each step in its life cycle. Pathology associated with HIV-1 infection necessarily results from a finite set of interactions among cellular factors and the nine total HIV-1 genes. By developing and applying genetic and biochemical screens we attempt to identify cellular factors of functional relevance to the virus and, more generally, to cell physiology. In effect, we exploit HIV-1, using the virus to elucidate mechanisms of cell cycle progression and cytokinesis, genetic recombination, signal transduction and cytokine expression, as well as protein folding, degradation, and antigen presentation. Our research is basic in nature but by shedding light on mechanisms of HIV-1 replication and immune system evasion we hope to contribute to the development of drugs and vaccines that target this virus, as well as seemingly unrelated diseases such as asthma and diabetes.

Selected Publications

Asmal, M., Colgan, J., Naef, F., Yu, B., Lee, Y., Magnasco, M.O., and J. Luban. 2003. Production of ribosome components in effector CD4+ T cells is accelerated by TCR stimulation and coordinated by ERK-MAPK. Immunity, in press.

Berthoux, L., Towers, G., Gurer, C., Salomoni, P., Pandolfi, P.P., and J. Luban. 2003. As2O3 enhances retroviral reverse transcription and counteracts Ref1 antiviral activity. J. Virol., 77:3167-3180.

Ansari, H., Greco, G. and J. Luban. 2002. Cyclophilin A peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity promotes Zpr1 nuclear export. Mol. Cell. Biol. 22: 6971-6978.

Gurer, C., Cimarelli, A., and J. Luban. 2002. Specific incorporation of Heat Shock Protein 70 family members into primate lentiviral virions. J. Virol. 76: 4666-4700.

Luban, J. 2001. HIV-1 and Ebola virus: the getaway driver nabbed. Nature Medicine, 7:1278-1280.

Braaten, D. and J. Luban. 2001. Cyclophilin A regulates HIV-1 infectivity, as demonstrated by gene targeting in human T cells. EMBO J., 20:1300-1309.