First Complete Coronavirus Model Shows Cooperation

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Funded-research
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Article
Publish or Event Date
Link URL
https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/-/first-complete-coronavirus-model-shows-cooperation
Research Institution
Texas Advanced Computing Center, The University of Texas at Austin
Short Title
First Complete Coronavirus Model Shows Cooperation
Content Coordinator
Claudia Wair
Content Manager
Kathy Donbeck

Researchers Map Metabolic Signaling Machinery for Producing Memory T Cells

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Funded-research
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Article
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Link URL
https://www.stjude.org/media-resources/news-releases/2021-medicine-science-news/researchers-map-metabolic-signaling-machinery-for-producing-memory-t-cells.html
Research Institution
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Short Title
Researchers Map Metabolic Signaling Machinery for Producing Memory T Cells
Content Coordinator
Claudia Wair
Content Manager
Kathy Donbeck

Mathematics’ Lauren Childs Helps Address the Complex Problems of Malaria

Kittens Could Hold Key to Understanding Deadly Diarrheal Disease in Children

Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome (LHIM)

Niki M. Moutsopoulos, D.D.S., Ph.D., Chief

The vision of the Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome (LHIM) is to comprehensively examine the factors controlling immunity and inflammation, whether they are host intrinsic (e.g., tissue-specific or the consequence of tissue-tissue communication) or extrinsic (e.g., involving the microbiota, nutrition, or infection). One major goal of the laboratory is to assess the consequences of environmental stress, such as microbiota colonization, nutrition, and pollution, on host immunity and predisposition to chronic inflammatory disorders at barrier surfaces, such as the gastrointestinal and respiratory mucosa, in the context of early life and into adulthood. The laboratory also seeks to explore novel microbiota-mediated and immunotherapeutic approaches to target human (mucosal) disease. The laboratory is built upon strong clinical-basic research foundations and partnerships with the NIH Clinical Center and the NIAID Microbiome Program.

LHIM has been specifically organized to maximize the capacity of its investigators to conduct cutting-edge research. It is home to the NIAID Microbiome Program,  which supports microbiome-related research through gnotobiotic, microbiology, and genomic core services. A major emphasis of LHIM is to promote collaborations between the laboratories within NIAID, as well as with the larger NIH (including the larger NIH immunology community) and extramural scientific communities. LHIM also has a strong emphasis on mentorship and fostering the next generation of scientific leaders.  

View all Division of Intramural Research laboratories

Major Areas of Research

LHIM utilizes transdisciplinary approaches in the exploration of host-microbe, tissue-tissue, and host-environment interactions. Areas of research focus include:

  • Immunology (e.g., human immunology, immunometabolism, nutritional immunology)
  • Microbiology (e.g., microbial ecology, antimicrobial resistance)
  • Chemistry (e.g., microbiota-derived natural products)
  • Neuroscience (e.g., gut/brain axis)
  • Genomics

In these latter cases, the lab has a particular interest in how such studies would enhance our understanding of host immunity.

Featured Content

  1. Mom’s microbes may influence babies’ future health
  2. Found: the dial in the brain that controls the immune system
  3. Fibrin sparks inflammation in the oral mucosa

Networks

  • The NIAID Microbiome Program is a collaborative effort to explore the metaorganism. The Program supports microbiome-related research through gnotobiotic, microbiology, and genomic core services.
  • The Center for Human Immunology (CHI) is a trans-NIH initiative to achieve an integrated understanding of human immunity and the microbiome in health and disease. 

Publications

Kim TS, Ikeuchi T, Theofilou VI, Williams DW, Greenwell-Wild T, June A, Adade EE, Li L, Abusleme L, Dutzan N, Yuan Y, Brenchley L, Bouladoux N, Sakamachi Y; NIDCD/NIDCR Genomics and Computational Biology Core; Palmer RJ Jr, Iglesias-Bartolome R, Trinchieri G, Garantziotis S, Belkaid Y, Valm AM, Diaz PI, Holland SM, Moutsopoulos NM. Epithelial-derived interleukin-23 promotes oral mucosal immunopathology. Immunity. 2024 Apr 9;57(4):859-875.e11.

Namasivayam S, Tilves C, Ding H, Wu S, Domingue JC, Ruiz-Bedoya C, Shah A, Bohrnsen E, Schwarz B, Bacorn M, Chen Q, Levy S, Dominguez Bello MG, Jain SK, Sears CL, Mueller NT, Hourigan SK. Fecal transplant from vaginally seeded infants decreases intraabdominal adiposity in mice. Gut Microbes. 2024 Jan-Dec;16(1):2353394.

Dang EV, Reboldi A. Cholesterol sensing and metabolic adaptation in tissue immunity. Trends Immunol. 2024 Nov;45(11):861-870.

Zheng Y, Dang EV. Novel mechanistic insights underlying fungal allergic inflammation. PLoS Pathog. 2023 Sep 13;19(9):e1011623.

Jin H, Li M, Jeong E, Castro-Martinez F, Zuker CS. A body-brain circuit that regulates body inflammatory responses. Nature. 2024 Jun;630(8017):695-703.

Sasisekhar Bennuru, Ph.D.

Associate Scientist, Helminth Immunology Section
Contact Information
Sasisekhar Bennuru, Ph.D.
Sasisekhar Bennuru, Ph.D.
Sasisekhar Bennuru, Ph.D.

Major Areas of Research

  • Molecular characterization of helminth parasites with a focus on filarial infections
  • Development of diagnostics and biomarker discovery for helminth infections
  • Host-parasite interactions towards defining pathogenesis of filarial infection

Biography

Dr. Bennuru received his Ph.D in 2005 from the Center for Biotechnology, Anna University in Chennai, India. He joined NIH in 2005 as a post-doctoral research fellow with Dr. Thomas Nutman in the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, primarily working on cellular and molecular aspects of human filarial infections and has been a staff scientist since 2013.

Program Description

Dr. Bennuru’s research focus within the Helminth Immunology Section is a multi-omic approach to understand the biology of parasitic helminths (especially human filarial infections, e.g., lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, and loiasis) and the host-parasite interaction toward defining pathogenesis; to identify parasite-encoded therapeutic, diagnostic, and vaccine-related targets; and to develop biomarkers of species-specific filarial infection.

Publications

Ricciardi A, Bennuru S, Tariq S, Kaur S, Wu W, Elkahloun AG, Arakelyan A, Shaik J, Dorward DW, Nutman TB, Tolouei Semnani R. Extracellular vesicles released from the filarial parasite Brugia malayi downregulate the host mTOR pathway. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 Jan;15(1):e0008884.

Easton A, Gao S, Lawton SP, Bennuru S, Khan A, Dahlstrom E, Oliveira RG, Kepha S, Porcella SF, Webster J, Anderson R, Grigg ME, Davis RE, Wang J, Nutman TB. Molecular evidence of hybridization between pig and human Ascaris indicates an interbred species complex infecting humans. Elife. 2020 Nov;9:e61562.

Bennuru S, Oduro-Boateng G, Osigwe C, Del Valle P, Golden A, Ogawa GM, Cama V, Lustigman S, Nutman TB. Integrating Multiple Biomarkers to Increase Sensitivity for the Detection of Onchocerca volvulus Infection. J Infect Dis. 2020 May;221(11):1805-1815.

Bennuru S, Cotton JA, Ribeiro JM, Grote A, Harsha B, Holroyd N, Mhashilkar A, Molina DM, Randall AZ, Shandling AD, Unnasch TR, Ghedin E, Berriman M, Lustigman S, Nutman TB. Stage-Specific Transcriptome and Proteome Analyses of the Filarial Parasite Onchocerca volvulus and Its Wolbachia Endosymbiont. mBio. 2016 Nov;7(6):e02028-16.

Cotton JA, Bennuru S, Grote A, Harsha B, Tracey A, Beech R, Doyle SR, Dunn M, Hotopp JC, Holroyd N, Kikuchi T, Lambert O, Mhashilkar A, Mutowo P, Nursimulu N, Ribeiro JM, Rogers MB, Stanley E, Swapna LS, Tsai IJ, Unnasch TR, Voronin D, Parkinson J, Nutman TB, Ghedin E, Berriman M, Lustigman S. The genome of Onchocerca volvulus, agent of river blindness. Nat Microbiol. 2016 Nov;2:16216.

D'Ambrosio MV, Bakalar M, Bennuru S, Reber C, Skandarajah A, Nilsson L, Switz N, Kamgno J, Pion S, Boussinesq M, Nutman TB, Fletcher DA. Point-of-care quantification of blood-borne filarial parasites with a mobile phone microscope. Sci Transl Med. 2015 May;7(286):286re4.

Visit PubMed for a complete publication listing.

Patents

Nutman TB, Bennuru S, Drame PM, inventors; The Unites States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services, assignee. Compositions and methods for detecting Loa loa. United States patent US 10,598,655. 24 March 2020.

Mitre EE, Morris C, Bennuru S, Nutman T, inventors; The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., The Unites States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services, assignee. Immunogenic compositions and vaccines for preventing or treating filarial disease. United States patent US 10,441,642. 15 Oct 2019.

Section or Unit Name
Helminth Immunology Section
Lab/Program Name
Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases
First Name
Sasisekhar
Last Name
Bennuru
Suffix
Ph.D.
Exclude from directory
Off
Section/Unit: Location
NIH Main Campus, Bethesda, MD
This Researcher/Clinician’s Person Page
Sasisekhar Bennuru, Ph.D.
Parent Lab/Program
Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases
Program Description

Dr. Bennuru’s research focus within the Helminth Immunology Section is a multi-omic approach to understand the biology of parasitic helminths (especially human filarial infections, e.g., lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, and loiasis) and the host-parasite interaction toward defining pathogenesis; to identify parasite-encoded therapeutic, diagnostic, and vaccine-related targets; and to develop biomarkers of species-specific filarial infection.

Selected Publications

Gazzinelli-Guimaraes PH, Bennuru S, de Queiroz Prado R, Ricciardi A, Sciurba J, Kupritz J, Moser M, Kamenyeva O, Nutman TB. House dust mite sensitization drives cross-reactive immune responses to hologous helminth proteins. PLoS Pathog. 2021 Mar 2;17(3):e1009337.

Easton A, Gao S, Lawton SP, Bennuru S, Khan A, Dahlstrom E, Oliveira RG, Kepha S, Porcella SF, Webster J, Anderson R, Grigg ME, Davis RE, Wang J, Nutman TB. Molecular evidence of hybridization between pig and human Ascaris indicates an interbred species complex infecting humans. Elife. 2020 Nov;9:e61562.

Bennuru S, Oduro-Boateng G, Osigwe C, Del Valle P, Golden A, Ogawa GM, Cama V, Lustigman S, Nutman TB. Integrating Multiple Biomarkers to Increase Sensitivity for the Detection of Onchocerca volvulus Infection. J Infect Dis. 2020 May;221(11):1805-1815.

Bennuru S, Cotton JA, Ribeiro JM, Grote A, Harsha B, Holroyd N, Mhashilkar A, Molina DM, Randall AZ, Shandling AD, Unnasch TR, Ghedin E, Berriman M, Lustigman S, Nutman TB. Stage-Specific Transcriptome and Proteome Analyses of the Filarial Parasite Onchocerca volvulus and Its Wolbachia Endosymbiont. mBio. 2016 Nov;7(6):e02028-16.

Cotton JA, Bennuru S, Grote A, Harsha B, Tracey A, Beech R, Doyle SR, Dunn M, Hotopp JC, Holroyd N, Kikuchi T, Lambert O, Mhashilkar A, Mutowo P, Nursimulu N, Ribeiro JM, Rogers MB, Stanley E, Swapna LS, Tsai IJ, Unnasch TR, Voronin D, Parkinson J, Nutman TB, Ghedin E, Berriman M, Lustigman S. The genome of Onchocerca volvulus, agent of river blindness. Nat Microbiol. 2016 Nov;2:16216.

D'Ambrosio MV, Bakalar M, Bennuru S, Reber C, Skandarajah A, Nilsson L, Switz N, Kamgno J, Pion S, Boussinesq M, Nutman TB, Fletcher DA. Point-of-care quantification of blood-borne filarial parasites with a mobile phone microscope. Sci Transl Med. 2015 May;7(286):286re4.

Visit PubMed for a complete publication listing.

Additional Information

Patents

Nutman TB, Bennuru S, Drame PM, inventors; The Unites States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services, assignee. Compositions and methods for detecting Loa loa. United States patent US 10,598,655. 24 March 2020.

Mitre EE, Morris C, Bennuru S, Nutman T, inventors; The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., The Unites States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services, assignee. Immunogenic compositions and vaccines for preventing or treating filarial disease. United States patent US 10,441,642. 15 Oct 2019.

Visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a complete patent listing.

Major Areas of Research
  • Molecular characterization of helminth parasites with a focus on filarial infections
  • Development of diagnostics and biomarker discovery for helminth infections
  • Host-parasite interactions towards defining pathogenesis of filarial infection

Study Could Explain Tuberculosis Bacteria Paradox

Experts at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Describe Types of Rashes Associated with MIS-C

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Funded-research
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Article
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Link URL
https://www.chop.edu/news/experts-children-s-hospital-philadelphia-describe-types-rashes-associated-mis-c
Research Institution
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Short Title
Experts at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Describe Types of Rashes Associated with MIS-C
Content Coordinator
Claudia Wair
Content Manager
Kathy Donbeck

Metabolic Mutations Help Bacteria Resist Drug Treatment

Cone Snail Venom Shows Potential for Treating Severe Malaria

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