Ekaterina Viktorova, Research Assistant Professor.
Development of enterovirus replication complexes; mechanisms and strategies for control.
Education
- 1998 – 2006: Postdoctoral Research Associate. M. P. Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides, Moscow, Russia
- 1989: Ph.D., M. P. Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- 1982: MS, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
Professional Experience
- 2015 – present: Research Assistant Professor, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
- 2011 – 2015: Faculty Research Associate, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
- 2006 – 2010: Visiting Research Associate, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- 1997: Visiting Scientist, Institute Pasteur, Paris, France
Research Interests
Enteroviruses constitute the largest group of RNA viruses that affect humans. This group includes various human pathogens such as rhinoviruses, poliovirus, enteroviruses 71 and D68, among others. These viruses are responsible for causing a spectrum of severe illnesses, carrying significant public health implications. Currently, only two enteroviruses (polio and EV-71) can be controlled through vaccines, and there is no FDA-approved effective antiviral treatment for enteroviruses. Conventional vaccine development might not prove to be the most efficient strategy in combating the multitude of enterovirus serotypes. Two therapeutic approaches have been explored: one targets viral proteins, while the other focuses on host factors responsible for different stages of enterovirus replication. A critical step in the enterovirus replication is rapid development of novel membranous structures with unique lipid and protein composition, so-called replication organelles. These structures possess a distinct lipid and protein composition. Since replication organelles are a common feature of all enteroviral infections, blocking their formation could be a very effective anti-enteroviral therapeutic strategy.
Representative Publications
Viktorova EG, Gabaglio S, Meissner JM, Lee E, Moghimi S, Sztul E, Belov GA. A redundant mechanism of recruitment underlies the remarkable plasticity of the requirement of poliovirus replication for the cellular ArfGEF GBF1.J Virol. 2019 Aug 2. pii: JVI.00856-19. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00856-19.
Viktorova EG, Nchoutmboube JA, Ford-Siltz LA, Iverson E, Belov GA. Phospholipid synthesis fueled by lipid droplets drives the structural development of poliovirus replication organelles. PLoS Pathog. 2018 Aug 27;14(8):e1007280. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007280. eCollection 2018 Aug.
Viktorova EG, Khattar SK, Kouiavskaia D, Laassri M, Zagorodnyaya T, Dragunsky E, Samal S, Chumakov K, Belov GA. Newcastle Disease Virus-Based Vectored Vaccine against Poliomyelitis. J Virol. 2018 Aug 16;92(17). pii: e00976-18. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00976-18. Print 2018 Sep 1
Viktorova EG, Khattar S, Samal S, Belov GA. Poliovirus Replicon RNA Generation, Transfection, Packaging, and Quantitation of Replication. Curr Protoc Microbiol. 2018 Feb 22;48:15H.4.1-15H.4.15. doi: 10.1002/cpmc.47.
Bhatt JM, Viktorova EG, Busby T, Wyrozumska P, Newman LE, Lin H3, Lee E, Wright J, Belov GA, Kahn RA, Sztul E. Oligomerization of the Sec7 domain Arf guanine nucleotide exchange factor GBF1 is dispensable for Golgi localization and function but regulates degradation. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2015 Dec 30:ajpcell.00
Viktorova EG, Nchoutmboube J, Ford-Siltz LA, Belov GA. Cell-Specific Establishment of Poliovirus Resistance to an Inhibitor Targeting a Cellular Protein. J. Virol. 2015 Feb 4. pii: JVI.00055-15
Viktorova EG, Ford-Siltz LA, Nchoutmboube J, Belov GA. Fluorescent fatty acid analogs as a tool to study development of the picornavirus replication organelles. J. Virol Methods. 2014 May;200:15-21. doi: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2014.01.020. Epub 2014 Feb 3.
Ilnytska O, Santiana M, Hsu NY, Du WL, Chen YH, Viktorova EG, Belov G, Brinker A, Storch J, Moore C, Dixon JL, Altan-Bonnet N. Enteroviruses harness the cellular endocytic machinery to remodel the host cell cholesterol landscape for effective viral replication. Cell Host Microbe. 2013 Sep 11;14(3):281-93
