Kathleen
Rundell, PhD
Professor
Department of Microbiology-Immunology
To Contact Dr. Rundell:
phone: 847-491-8854
e-mail: krundell@northwestern.edu
Dr. Rundell's website
PubMed
Reference Lookup
Research Interests
The research of Dr. Rundell involves the DNA tumor virus, SV40,
which enhances the growth and transformation of many cell types. In her laboratory’s
studies of the individual viral proteins, the large-T and small-t antigens,
they have employed many genetic approaches including microarray analyses.
Using adenovirus vectors that individually express the proteins, her lab examined
genes expressed by density-arrested primary human fibroblasts only in response
to one of the viral proteins. They presently focus on three genes that are
only induced by small-t and not by large-T antigen or serum-stimulation. Using
sequence information available from the human genome project, they have identified
likely promoter regions of these genes and isolated them by PCR amplification.
Dr. Rundell has confirmed that these regions drive reporter gene expression
and that this is enhanced by small-t antigen. Her laboratory’s current
studies will explore the role of these cellular genes in SV40 infection. One
ongoing approach is to regulate expression of small-t-induced genes and key
cell cycle regulators by RNAi methodologies. This will allow them to determine
whether expression of a given cellular protein is necessary for transformation
of appropriate target cells.