Education

1986 - 1991 Norfolk State University B. S. (Biology)
1993 - 2001 Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University Ph.D. (Molecular Virology)

 

Research Interest

I returned to an HBCU to stimulate students in the areas of research and writing. I wanted to offer incentives to students often overlooked because of lower GPAs. These students usually are not as motivated and need the extra push. An opportunity in undergraduate research may be the stimulation needed for student enthusiasm and success in the sciences. In addition, I wanted to build bridges with students by earning their trust and respect; making myself available to listen to their concerns; advising them on their curriculum requirements and careers; and serving as a mentor.

My research at Norfolk State University is an extension of my graduate thesis. Upon arrival to NSU, my immediate goal was to establish a laboratory that facilitates the acquisition of external funding to better understand whether viruses utilize similar molecular mechanisms to activate genes within the different expression phases and to train undergraduate students in molecular virology.

Human cytomegalovirus is a large double stranded DNA virus of the herpesvirus family and includes other viruses such as Varicella zoster virus (causes chickenpox) and Epstein Barr Virus (causes mononucleosis). The hallmark of herpesviruses is their ability to remain latent in a host for life. I have been studying the multiple regulatory controls that exist for the differential expression evident in HCMV. Viruses must express their gene products in sequence, first producing proteins that will assist in the synthesis of the nucleic acid (DNA and RNA) followed by the synthesis of proteins that will aid in the packaging of the virus. Viral gene expression is therefore ordered, sequential, and divided into distinct phases: immediate early, early, and late phase.

Large double-stranded DNA viruses such as HCMV display their gene products in this manner. Viral promoter studies have been undertaken to determine how genes are regulated, in particular, the sequence requirements and the transacting factors involved. My focus has been on an early gene in HCMV located in the unique long region at the 98th position of the genome (UL98). I specifically study the cis-elements and transacting factors important in the activation of this early gene.

My overall long-term objectives are to a) determine common important cis-acting elements among early and late promoters via deletion/mutational analysis of the promoter sequences and b) to assess the common transacting factors (proteins) that bind the early and late promoters via electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA). These studies will enable us to break down the complex interplay between viral and cellular factors that regulate 5’ regulatory sequences of early and late gene expression. Identifying the important factors for the expression of these genes will eventually aid in the finding novel therapies to combat viral infections at the level of DNA or protein.
 

Publications

Honors and Awards

2005 NIH Research and Infrastructure at Minority Institutions (RIMI) Grant, NSU Center for Biotechnology and Biomedicine, $3.6 million, Joseph C. Hall, P. D., Steven D. Aird, Tabmitha Y. Jervey, and Kenneth W. Hicks.

Memberships