Rose, Timothy

Our research is focused on the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and its transmission and pathogenic role in AIDS-related malignancies. KSHV is the causative agent for Kaposi's sarcoma and two lymphoproliferative disorders: Multi-centric Castleman's disease and primary effusion lymphoma. We have identified the cellular integrin alphaV/beta3 as an RGD-dependent entry receptor for KSHV and have a project to characterize virus binding and entry. We discovered the KSHV homolog in macaques and are developing an animal model of KSHV transmission and pathogenesis. We are also developing novel molecular diagnostic assays for detecting new and emerging viral pathogens. Our research approaches include virology (using both in vitro and in vivo models), cellular biology (studying signaling and protein interactions), protein chemistry (studying functions of recombinantly expressed proteins and protein mutations), microscopy (using a dedicated confocal microscope), molecular biology (for viral pathogen identification and characterization) and bioinformatics (for viral gene and genome analysis).