Ekaterina Viktorova, Research Assistant Professor.
Role of cellular protein GBF1 in organizing enterovirus replication complexes, anti-enteroviral therapeutics targeting cellular factors.
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
Studying the origin of enteroviruses replication organelles. Enteroviruses are a large group in the Picornaviridae family of positive-strand RNA viruses, that cause a range of serious diseases associated with a significant public health burden. But for today only two enteroviruses (polio and EV-71) could be controlled with vaccines and there is no effective anti-enteroviral therapeutics approved by the FDA. Traditional vaccine development is not the best strategy to combat a large number of enterovirus serotypes. The main research efforts are aimed at the development of broad-spectrum antiviral compounds. However, viruses are highly adaptable and can easily generate mutants resistant to compounds targeting viral proteins. An alternative approach is to target stable cellular factors recruited for the virus-specific functions. A critical step in the enterovirus replication cycle is rapid development of novel membranous structures with unique lipid and protein composition, so-called replication organelles. Since replication organelles are a common feature of all enteroviral infections, blocking their formation could be a very effective anti-enteroviral therapeutic strategy. My work is focusing on cellular protein GBF1 which is recruited to viral replication organelles and supports the functioning of cellular membrane metabolism.
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
