Karen Swanson
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC·Microbiology & Immunology
Rhinoviruses are the most common cause of the common cold. They can also cause serious illness, especially in people with lung disease.
- Fields
Microbiology & Immunology
Biology
- Topics
rhinovirus
common cold
Stimulator of Interferon Genes
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Mar 2027
What they work on
- Define the mechanism by which the human protein STING, normally an antiviral sensor, acts as a host factor supporting genome replication of rhinovirus species RV-A and RV-C but not RV-B.
- Determine how naturally occurring human STING1 gene variants, including those with reduced type I interferon signaling, influence RV-A and RV-C replication.
- Identify which nonstructural rhinovirus proteins interact with STING or the STING protein complex to promote infection by RV-A and RV-C.
More about the research
They are the most frequent trigger of asthma attacks, and they also worsen chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Not all rhinoviruses are equally harmful. Two groups, RV-A and RV-C, drive most asthma attacks, while RV-B rarely does. This project asks which features of the human host make RV-A and RV-C more dangerous.
Why it matters
Rhinovirus infections cause many asthma attacks and COPD flare-ups. Understanding why RV-A and RV-C depend on the human protein STING could explain why these species are more harmful. It could also show why some people, depending on their STING gene variant, may respond differently to infection. This knowledge could eventually point to new targets for limiting severe rhinovirus disease in people with lung conditions.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Anny Zhou
University of Virginia, VA·Microbiology & Immunology
Dissect the molecular mechanism by which GSDMB, an asthma-linked gene on chromosome 17q21, promotes interferon signaling and the expression of interferon-stimulated genes in human airway epithelial cells treated with RNA viruses or the viral RNA mimic poly(I:C).
Analisa DiFeo
University of Michigan, MI·Medicine & Clinical Research
Determine how loss of the microRNA miR-181a affects immune cell infiltration and interferon signaling in patient-derived ovarian tumor organoids, with and without a STING agonist or anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy.
Xiaoyang Hua
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX·Microbiology & Immunology
Define the immune mechanisms by which a virus infecting only the nose recruits antigen-presenting cells to the lungs and boosts innate and adaptive lung immunity, a process called nose-lung cross talk.
The school
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: 72 labs on PI Pages, $1.6B a year on research, 523 research doctorates a year.
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