XClose

LMCB - Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology

Home
Menu
Mark Marsh's picture
UCL Emeritus Professor of Molecular Cell Biology
 
+44 (0)20 7679 7807
LMCB Room 2.01
 
 
 
Cellular mechanisms of virus entry and assembly

Research synopsis

The mechanisms used by viruses to invade and replicate in cells are of fundamental interest, both in terms of improved understanding of infection and pathogenesis, with implications for health and economic wellbeing, but also because viruses are extraordinary tools for revealing how cells work.

We focus on understanding how membrane-containing enveloped viruses interact with cellular membrane systems, how these interactions facilitate or restrict the transmission of viruses from cell to cell and how they impact on viral pathogenesis. We are exploiting our current knowhow to develop knowledge-based interventions against viral infections and/or pathogenesis.

Recently, we have concentrated on HIV, and the closely related simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIV), with a view to understanding fundamental aspects of virus replication in macrophages and how highly conserved trafficking signals in the envelope glycoprotein of SIV impact on pathogenesis.

In new programs of work, we will investigate (1) how interferon-induced transmembrane (IFITM) proteins inhibit the entry of a broad range of enveloped viruses, (2) the potential to develop broad-spectrum antivirals that inhibit the entry of viruses that exploit the same endocytic entry mechanisms, and (3) the cell biological processes underlying virus particle formation. 

Marsh lab research imageMarsh lab research image

Selected publications

Griffiths G, et al (2022). Nanoparticle entry into cells; the cell biology weak link. Adv. Drug Delivery Reviews doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114403

Lawrence S, et al (2022). A cellular trafficking signal in the SIV envelope protein cytoplasmic domain is strongly selected for in pathogenic infection. PLoS Pathogens 18:e1010507. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010507.

Yuan Y, et al (2021). Single-molecule super-resolution imaging of T-cell plasma membrane CD4 redistribution upon HIV-1 binding. Viruses; 13:142 https://doi.org/10.3390/v13010142

Bednarska J, et al (2020). Assembly and release of single HIV VLPs by high-speed correlative SICM. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2008156117

Pereira P, et al (2020). Super-Beacons: Open-source probes with spontaneous tuneable blinking compatible with live-cell super-resolution microscopy. Traffic; 21:375-385. doi: 10.1111/tra.12728

Giese S, et al (2020). The Nef protein of HIV­1 strain AD8 counteracts human Bst­2/tetherin. Viruses 12: 459; doi: 10.3390/v1204045

 
 

Research themes

Virus entry
Membrane trafficking
Cellular mechanisms of viral restriction
Viral pathogenesis
 

Technology

Light microscopy
Translational research
Bioinformatics
Electron microscopy
 

Collaborators

Dan Cutler (LMCB, UK)
Franck Pichaud (LMCB, UK)
Chris Stefan (LMCB, UK)
Robin Ketteler (LMCB, UK)
Andrew Shevchuk (Imperial College, UK)
Greg Towers (UCL, UK)
Isabel Llorente-Garcia (UCL, UK)
Paul Kellam (Imperial College, UK)
Mike Jacobs (UCL, UK)
Richard Angel (UCL, UK)
Sandip Patel (UCL, UK)
Jason Mercer (Birmingham University, UK)
Ewa Paluch (Cambridge University, UK)
Ricardo Henriques (IGC, Portugal)
Jim Hoxie (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
Mark von Zastrow (UCSF, USA)