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Collaborations
Dr Leo James
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge
Jacques DA, McEwan WA, Hilditch L, Price AJ, Towers GJ, James LC. HIV-1 uses dynamic capsid pores to import nucleotides and fuel encapsidated DNA synthesis. Nature. 2016 Aug 18;536(7616):349-53. Epub 2016 Aug 10.
Rasaiyaah, J., C. P. Tan, A. J. Fletcher, A. J. Price, C. Blondeau, L. Hilditch, D. A. Jacques, D. L. Selwood, L. C. James, M. Noursadeghi and G. J. Towers. 2013. HIV-1 evades innate immune recognition through specific co-factor recruitment. Nature (2013) doi:10.1038/nature12769
Bichel, K., A. J. Price, T. Schaller, G. J. Towers, S. M. Freund, and L. C. James. 2013. HIV-1 capsid undergoes coupled binding and isomerization by the nuclear pore protein NUP358. Retrovirology 10:81.
Price, A. J., A. J. Fletcher, T. Schaller, T. Elliot, K. Lee, V. N. Kewalramani, J. Chin, G. J. Towers, and L. C. James. 2012. CPSF6 defines a conserved capsid interface that modulates HIV-1 replication. PLoS pathogens 8:e1002896
Caines, M. E., K. Bichel, A. J. Price, W. A. McEwan, G. J. Towers, B. J. Willett, S. M. Freund, and L. C. James. 2012. Diverse HIV viruses are targeted by a conformationally dynamic antiviral. Nat Struct Mol Biol 19:411-416.
Ylinen, L. M., Price, A. J., Rasaiyaah, J., Hue, S., Rose, N. J., Marzetta, F., James, L. C. & Towers, G. J. 2010. Conformational Adaptation of Asian Macaque TRIMCyp Directs Lineage Specific Antiviral Activity. PLoS Pathogens 6: e1001062
Mallery, D. L., W. A. McEwan, S. R. Bidgood, G. J. Towers, C. M. Johnson, and L. C. James. 2010. Antibodies mediate intracellular immunity through tripartite motif-containing 21 (TRIM21). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 107:19985-19990.
Price, A. J., F. Marzetta, M. Lammers, L. M. J. Ylinen, T. Schaller, S. J. Wilson, G. J. Towers and L. C. James. 2009. Active site remodelling switches HIV specificity of antiretroviral TRIMCyp. Nature Struct Mol Biol 16: 1036-42
Dr Mahdad Noursadeghi
Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL
Mlcochova P, Watters SA, Towers GJ, Noursadeghi M, Gupta RK. Vpx complementation of 'non-macrophage tropic' R5 viruses reveals robust entry of infectious HIV-1 cores into macrophages. Retrovirology. 2014 Mar 21;11:25. doi: 10.1186/1742-4690-11-25.
Towers GJ, Noursadeghi M. Interactions between HIV-1 and the cell-autonomous innate immune system. Cell Host Microbe. 2014 Jul 9;16(1):10-8. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2014.06.009.
Mlcochova P, Watters SA, Towers GJ, Noursadeghi M, Gupta RK. Vpx complementation of 'non-macrophage tropic' R5 viruses reveals robust entry of infectious HIV-1 cores into macrophages. Retrovirology. 2014 Mar 21;11:25. doi: 10.1186/1742-4690-11-25.
Rasaiyaah, J., C. P. Tan, A. J. Fletcher, A. J. Price, C. Blondeau, L. Hilditch, D. A. Jacques, D. L. Selwood, L. C. James, M. Noursadeghi and G. J. Towers. 2013. HIV-1 evades innate immune recognition through specific co-factor recruitment. Nature (2013) doi:10.1038/nature12769
Hughes R, Towers G, Noursadeghi M. Innate immune interferon responses to human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection. Rev Med Virol. 2012 Jul;22(4):257-66. doi: 10.1002/rmv.1708. Epub 2012 Feb 22. Review.
Tomlinson, G. S., H. Booth, S. J. Petit, E. Potton, G. J. Towers, R. F. Miller, B. M. Chain, and M. Noursadeghi. 2012. Adherent human alveolar macrophages exhibit a transient pro-inflammatory profile that confounds responses to innate immune stimulation. PloS one 7:e40348.
Schaller, T., K. E. Ocwieja, J. Rasaiyaah, A. J. Price, T. L. Brady, S. L. Roth, S. Hue, A. J. Fletcher, K. Lee, V. N. Kewalramani, M. Noursadeghi, R. G. Jenner, L. C. James, F. D. Bushman, and G. J. Towers. 2011. HIV-1 Capsid-Cyclophilin Interactions Determine Nuclear Import Pathway, Integration Targeting and Replication Efficiency. PLoS Pathog 7:e1002439
Tsang, J., B. M. Chain, R. F. Miller, B. L. J. Webb, W. Barclay, G. J. Towers, D. R. Katz, and M. Noursadeghi. 2009. HIV-1 infection of macrophages is dependent on evasion of innate immune cellular activation. AIDS 23:2255-63
Ylinen LM, Schaller T, Price A, Fletcher AJ, Noursadeghi M, James LC, Towers GJ. Cyclophilin A levels dictate infection efficiency of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 capsid escape mutants A92E and G94D. J Virol. 2009 Feb;83(4):2044-7. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01876-08. Epub 2008 Dec 10.
Dr Stéphane Hué
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, LSHTM
We collaborate with Stéphane to consider the genetics of host and virus using phylogenetic and positive selection techniques.
Monit C, Goldstein RA, Towers G, Hué S. Positive Selection Analysis of Overlapping Reading Frames Is Invalid. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2015 Oct;31(10):947. doi: 10.1089/AID.2015.0150. Epub 2015 Jul 22.
Schaller, T., K. E. Ocwieja, J. Rasaiyaah, A. J. Price, T. L. Brady, S. L. Roth, S. Hue, A. J. Fletcher, K. Lee, V. N. Kewalramani, M. Noursadeghi, R. G. Jenner, L. C. James, F. D. Bushman, and G. J. Towers. 2011. HIV-1 Capsid-Cyclophilin Interactions Determine Nuclear Import Pathway, Integration Targeting and Replication Efficiency. PLoS Pathog 7:e1002439
Gupta, K. R., S. Hué, T. Schaller, E. Verschoor, D. Pillay and G. J. Towers. 2009. Mutation of a single residue renders human tetherin resistant to HIV-1 Vpu-mediated depletion. PloS Pathogens 5:e1000443
Ylinen, L. M., Price, A. J., Rasaiyaah, J., Hue, S., Rose, N. J., Marzetta, F., James, L. C. & Towers, G. J. 2010. Conformational Adaptation of Asian Macaque TRIMCyp Directs Lineage Specific Antiviral Activity. PLoS Pathogens 6: e1001062
Fletcher AJ, Hué S, Schaller T, Pillay D, Towers GJ. Hare TRIM5α restricts divergent retroviruses and exhibits significant sequence variation from closely related lagomorpha TRIM5 genes. J Virol. 2010 Dec;84(23):12463-8. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01514-10. Epub 2010 Sep 22.
Hué S, Gray ER, Gall A, Katzourakis A, Tan CP, Houldcroft CJ, McLaren S, Pillay D, Futreal A, Garson JA, Pybus OG, Kellam P, Towers GJ. Disease-associated XMRV sequences are consistent with laboratory contamination. Retrovirology. 2010 Dec 20;7(1):111. doi: 10.1186/1742-4690-7-111.
Katzourakis A, Hué S, Kellam P, Towers GJ. Phylogenetic analysis of murine leukemia virus sequences from longitudinally sampled chronic fatigue syndrome patients suggests PCR contamination rather than viral evolution. J Virol. 2011 Oct;85(20):10909-13. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00827-11. Epub 2011 Aug 17.
Schaller T, Hué S, Towers GJ. An active TRIM5 protein in rabbits indicates a common antiviral ancestor for mammalian TRIM5 proteins. J Virol. 2007 Nov;81(21):11713-21. Epub 2007 Aug 29.
Dr Ravi Gupta
Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL
Mlcochova P, Caswell SJ, Taylor IA, Towers GJ, Gupta RK. DNA damage induced by topoisomerase inhibitors activates SAMHD1 and blocks HIV-1 infection of macrophages. EMBO J. 2018 Jan 4;37(1):50-62. doi: 10.15252/embj.201796880. Epub 2017 Oct 30.
Mlcochova P, Sutherland KA, Watters SA, Bertoli C, de Bruin RA, Rehwinkel J, Neil SJ, Lenzi GM, Kim B, Khwaja A, Gage MC, Georgiou C, Chittka A, Yona S, Noursadeghi M, Towers GJ, Gupta RK. A G1-like state allows HIV-1 to bypass SAMHD1 restriction in macrophages. EMBO J. 2017 Mar 1;36(5):604-616. doi: 10.15252/embj.201696025. Epub 2017 Jan 25.
Mlcochova P, Watters SA, Towers GJ, Noursadeghi M, Gupta RK. Vpx complementation of 'non-macrophage tropic' R5 viruses reveals robust entry of infectious HIV-1 cores into macrophages. Retrovirology. 2014 Mar 21;11:25. doi: 10.1186/1742-4690-11-25.
Gupta, R. K., Kohli, A., McCormick, A. L., Towers, G. J., Pillay, D.,and C. M. Parry. 2010. Full length HIV-1 Gag determines protease inhibitor susceptibility within in vitro assays. AIDS 24:1651-5
Gupta, R. K. and G. J. Towers. 2009. A tail of tetherin: How pandemic HIV-1 conquered the world. Cell Host and Microbes 5: 393-5
Gupta, K. R., S. Hué, T. Schaller, E. Verschoor, D. Pillay and G. J. Towers. 2009. Mutation of a single residue renders human tetherin resistant to HIV-1 Vpu-mediated depletion. PloS Pathogens 5:e1000443
Gupta, R. K., P. Mlcochova, A. Pelchen-Matthews, S. J. Petit, G. Mattiuzzo, D. Pillay, Y. Takeuchi, M. Marsh, and G. J. Towers. 2009. Simian immunodeficiency virus envelope glycoprotein counteracts tetherin/BST-2/CD317 by intracellular sequestration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106: 20889-20894
Dr Neil Berry
Division of virology, NIBSC
We collaborate with Neil and his colleagues at the National Institute for Biological Standards, part of the MHRA, to understand the correlates of protection of live attenuated vaccination of non-human primates with simian immunodeficiency virus. Neil has found that a live attenuated vaccine provides particularly effective protection from homologous and heterologous lentivirus challenge. Our work has considered the role of restriction factors and the innate immune system generally in protection with the view to developing an HIV-1 vaccine that produces a similar protective response.
Ferguson D, Mattiuzzo G, Ham C, Stebbings R, Li B, Rose NJ, Mee ET, Smith D, Page M, Cranage MP, Almond N, Towers GJ, Berry NJ. Early biodistribution and persistence of a protective live attenuated SIV vaccine elicits localised innate responses in multiple lymphoid tissues. PLoS One. 2014 Aug 27;9(8):e104390. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104390. eCollection 2014.
Mattiuzzo G, Rose NJ, Almond N, Towers GJ, Berry N. Upregulation of TRIM5α gene expression after live-attenuated simian immunodeficiency virus vaccination in Mauritian cynomolgus macaques, but TRIM5α genotype has no impact on virus acquisition or vaccination outcome. Gen Virol. 2013 Mar;94(Pt 3):606-11. doi: 10.1099/vir.0.047795-0. Epub 2012 Nov 14.
Berry NJ, Marzetta F, Towers GJ, Rose NJ. Diversity of TRIM5α and TRIMCyp sequences in cynomolgus macaques from different geographical origins. Immunogenetics. 2012 Apr;64(4):267-78. doi: 10.1007/s00251-011-0585-x. Epub 2011 Nov 29.
Berry N, Ham C, Mee ET, Rose NJ, Mattiuzzo G, Jenkins A, Page M, Elsley W, Robinson M, Smith D, Ferguson D, Towers G, Almond N, Stebbings R. Early potent protection against heterologous SIVsmE660 challenge following live attenuated SIV vaccination in Mauritian cynomolgus macaques. PLoS One. 2011;6(8):e23092. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023092. Epub 2011 Aug 10.
Prof David Selwood
Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, UCL
Culley S, Towers GJ, Selwood DL, Henriques R, Grove J. Infection Counter: Automated Quantification of in Vitro Virus Replication by Fluorescence Microscopy. Viruses. 2016 Jul 21;8(7). pii: E201. doi: 10.3390/v8070201.
Warne J, Pryce G, Hill JM, Shi X, Lennerås F, Puentes F, Kip M, Hilditch L, Walker P, Simone MI, Chan AW, Towers GJ, Coker AR, Duchen MR, Szabadkai G, Baker D, Selwood DL. Selective Inhibition of the Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore Protects against Neurodegeneration in Experimental Multiple Sclerosis. J Biol Chem. 2016 Feb 26;291(9):4356-73. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M115.700385. Epub 2015 Dec 17.
Rasaiyaah, J., C. P. Tan, A. J. Fletcher, A. J. Price, C. Blondeau, L. Hilditch, D. A. Jacques, D. L. Selwood, L. C. James, M. Noursadeghi and G. J. Towers. 2013. HIV-1 evades innate immune recognition through specific co-factor recruitment. Nature (2013) doi:10.1038/nature12769
Dr Julia García Prado
IrsiCaixa, Institut de Reserca de la Sida, Barcelona
We collaborate with Julia to understand the biology of HIV antigen presentation and antiviral mechanisms of TRIM5.
Jimenez-Moyano E, Ruiz A, Kløverpris HN, Rodriguez-Plata MT, Peña R, Blondeau C, Selwood DL, Izquierdo-Useros N, Moris A, Clotet B, Goulder P, Towers GJ, Prado JG. Nonhuman TRIM5 Variants Enhance Recognition of HIV-1-Infected Cells by CD8+ T Cells. J Virol. 2016 Sep 12;90(19):8552-62. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00819-16. Print 2016 Oct 1.
Kløverpris HN, Payne RP, Sacha JB, Rasaiyaah JT, Chen F, Takiguchi M, Yang OO, Towers GJ, Goulder P, Prado JG. 2013. Early antigen presentation of protective HIV-1 KF11Gag and KK10Gag epitopes from incoming viral particles facilitates rapid recognition of infected cells by specific CD8+ T cells. Journal of Virology 87(5):2628-38
Prof Richard Milne
Department of Virology, UCL Medical School
Richard leads infection and immunity teaching at UCL and is recipient of numerous teaching awards. Together with Greg and the Towers lab, he is developing a research-led teaching programme in which senior investigators and post-docs teach undergraduate lectures based on their most recent and exciting discoveries. We aim not only to teach science facts but also to teach students how to think like scientists. Richard and Greg run a London-wide monthly seminar programme: Virtual Virology, and a public engagement programme for school children.
Sumner RP, Thorne LG, Fink DL, Khan H, Milne RS, Towers GJ. Are Evolution and the Intracellular Innate Immune System Key Determinants in HIV Transmission? Front Immunol. 2017 Oct 6;8:1246. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01246. eCollection 2017.
Blondeau, C., A. Pelchen-Matthews, P. Mlcochova, M. Marsh, R. S. Milne, and G. J. Towers. Tetherin Restricts Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and is Antagonised by Glycoprotein J.Virol. 2013 Sep 25
Dr Joe Grove
Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL
Siân Culley, Greg J Towers, David L Selwood, Ricardo Henriques, Joe Grove Infection Counter: Automated Quantification of in Vitro Virus Replication by Fluorescence Microscopy Viruses 2016 Jul 21;8(7):201. doi: 10.3390/v8070201.
Prof Richard Goldstein
Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL
Richard is an computational biologist in our Dept at UCL who studies virus and host evolution. We believe that biological data make most sense when considered in the context of evolution. In collaboration with Richard we consider ways to ask questions that combine evolutionary and molecular biology experimental approaches.
Monit C, Goldstein RA, Towers G, Hué S. Positive Selection Analysis of Overlapping Reading Frames Is Invalid. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2015 Oct;31(10):947. doi: 10.1089/AID.2015.0150. Epub 2015 Jul 22.
Dr Carlos Maluquer de Motes
University Of Surrey
Carlos studies pox viruses in his group at the University of Surrey. We collaborate with Carlos because pox viruses manipulate DNA sensing and comparing and contrasting replication and innate immune evasion strategies between pox viruses and retroviruses is very informative.
Georgana I, Sumner RP, Towers GJ, Maluquer de Motes C. Virulent poxviruses inhibit DNA sensing by preventing STING activation. J Virol. 2018 Feb 28. pii: JVI.02145-17. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02145-17.
Dr Clare Jolly
Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL
Dr Michela Mazzon
Virology Research Services Ltd
Dr Waseem Qasim
ICH and Great Ormond Street Hospital
We collaborate with Waseem on developing novel gene therapy based approaches to treat HIV infection in children.
Chan E, Towers GJ, Qasim W. Gene therapy strategies to exploit TRIM derived restriction factors against HIV-1. Viruses. 2014 Jan 14;6(1):243-63. doi: 10.3390/v6010243. Review.
Chan, E., T. Schaller, A. Eddaoudi, H. Zhan, C. P. Tan, M. Jacobsen, A. J. Thrasher, G. J. Towers, and W. Qasim. 2012. Lentiviral Gene Therapy Against Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1, Using a Novel Human TRIM21-Cyclophilin A Restriction Factor. Human gene therapy. 23:1176-85
Dr David Jacques
Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales
Trivalent RING Assembly on Retroviral Capsids Activates TRIM5 Ubiquitination and Innate Immune Signaling. Fletcher AJ, Vaysburd M, Maslen S, Zeng J, Skehel JM, Towers GJ, James LC. Cell Host Microbe. 2018 Dec 12;24(6):761-775.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2018.10.007. Epub 2018 Nov 29. PMID:30503508.
IP6 is an HIV pocket factor that prevents capsid collapse and promotes DNA synthesis. Mallery DL, Márquez CL, McEwan WA, Dickson CF, Jacques DA, Anandapadamanaban M, Bichel K, Towers GJ, Saiardi A, Böcking T, James LC. Elife. 2018 May 31;7. pii: e35335. doi: 10.7554/eLife.35335. PMID:29848441
HIV-1 uses dynamic capsid pores to import nucleotides and fuel encapsidated DNA synthesis. Jacques DA, McEwan WA, Hilditch L, Price AJ, Towers GJ, James LC. Nature. 2016 Aug 18;536(7616):349-53. Epub 2016 Aug 10. PMID: 27509857
Dr Che Colpitts
Queens University, Ontario, Canada
Che spent three years as a research fellow with us funded by Canadian fellowships and a grant from the UCL/UCLH Biomedical Research Centre. Che taught us how to work on flaviviruses with a focus on Hepatitis C (HCV). Che worked out that if you inhibit HCV with cyclosporines then the antiviral protein PKR is activated to provide activiral acivity via IRF1 published in eLife. Che now helps us understand how innate immunity works against Dengue Virus funded by an MRC project grant co-written with Che. We were sorry to see Che go but very happy to see her success in setting up and funding her own lab at Queens University in Canada.
Colpitts CC, Ridewood S, Schneiderman B, Warne J, Tabata K, Ng CF, Bartenschlager R, Selwood DL, Towers GJ. 2020 Hepatitis C virus exploits cyclophilin A to evade PKR. Elife. Jun 16;9:e52237. doi: 10.7554/eLife.52237.
Dr Rob Gifford
MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR)
Dr Steve Gschmeissner
EM photographer
Prof Nevan Krogan
Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
Preclinical and randomized phase I studies of plitidepsin in adults hospitalized with COVID-19. Life Science Alliance 2022 Jan 10;5(4):e202101200. doi: 10.26508/lsa.202101200. Print 2022 Apr.
Evolution of enhanced innate immune evasion by SARS-CoV-2. Nature, 2022 Feb;602(7897):487-495. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-04352-y. Epub 2021 Dec 23.
. Evolution of enhanced innate immune evasion by the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 UK variant. BioRxiv, 2021 Jun 7;2021.06.06.446826. doi: 10.1101/2021.06.06.446826. Preprint