Research Interests The primary focus of the Montelaro lab is to elucidate the intricate interactions between viral pathogens and host immune responses to determine the mechanisms by with host immunity contributes to protection and disease and to serve as a basis for the development of effective vaccines. A particular interest of the lab is to develop effective strategies to overcome the challenge of natural viral antigenic variation that has evolved as a common complication to the development of effective vaccines to important viral diseases, including those related to biodefense and emerging infectious diseases. Systems currently under investigation include HIV-1 and related animal lentiviruses (SHIV, SIV, and EIAV), dengue virus, and influenza virus. Studies in these systems include investigation of the nature and role of antigenic variation during infection, the development of novel assays to characterize virus-specific innate, humoral, and cellular immune responses, and the design of engineered immunogens for effective vaccination against variant strains of a particular virus. In addition to these vaccine related studies, the lab also maintains a research program to develop novel de novo antimicrobial peptides (engineered cationic amphipathic peptides, or eCAPs) that can be used to inactivate a diverse spectrum of bacteria or enveloped viruses in a prophylactic or therapeutic treatment modalities.   Selected Publications Sun, C., Zhang, B., Jin, J., and Montelaro, R. (2008) Equine infectious anemia virus binding to the equine lentivirus receptor-1 is mediated by complex discontinuous sequences in the viral envelope gp90 protein. J. Gen. Virol. 89: 2010-2018. Yang, W., Qiu, C., Biswas, N., Jin, J., Watkins, S., Montelaro, R., Coyne, C., and Wang, T. (2008) Correlation of tight junction-like distribution of claudin-1 to the cellular tropism of HCV. J. Biol. Chem. 283: 8643-8653. Pawar, S., Mattila, J., Sturgeon, T., Lin, P., Narayan, O., Montelaro, R., and Flynn, J. (2008) Comparison of the effects of pathogenic simian human immunodeficiency virus strains SHIV89.6P and SHIV-Ku2 in cynomolgus macaques. AIDS Res. Human Retroviruses 24: 643-654. Tagmyer, T., Craigo, J., Cook, S., Issel, C., and Montelaro, R. (2008) Envelope peptide determinants of vaccine protection and the effects of sequence variation on immune recognition. J. Virol. 82:4052-4063. Zhang, B., Sun, C., Cascio, M., Montelaro, R. (2008) Mapping of equine lentivirus receptor-1 residues critical for EIAV envelope binding. J. Virol. 82: 1204-1213. Complete Publication Listing   Grant Support Title: EIAV envelope variation and vaccine efficacy Agency: NIH/NIAID Role: Principal Investigator Funding Period: 2003-2008 Title: Cellular and molecular biology of EIAV replication Agency: NIH Role: Principal Investigator Funding Period: 2007-2009 Title: Evaluation of the intracytoplasmic domain of HIV-1 gp41 as a vaccine immunogen Agency: NIH/NIAID Role: Principal Investigator Funding Period: 2006– 2009 Title: Dengue virus like particle vaccine Agency: DoD/USAMRMC Role: Co-investigator Funding Period: 2007–2011 Title: Dengue envelope domain III-C3d vaccine Agency: DoD/USAMRMC Role: Co-investigator Funding Period: 2007-2010   Other Links Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Montelaro Laboratory Center for Vaccine Research University of Pittsburgh

Ronald C. Montelaro, Ph.D. Office:  9016 BST3 Lab:9053 BST3 Phone:412-648-8869 Fax: 412-624-4440 rmont@pitt.edu   Academic Affiliations Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Professor of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Co-Director, Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh Co-Director, Pittsburgh Center for HIV-1 Protein Interactions, University of Pittsburgh Director, Peptide Synthesis Core, University of Pittsburgh Member, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute   Education B.S., Biochemistry, Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge, 1971 Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1975 Postdoc, Retrovirology, Duke University Medical Center, 1976-1979   Lab Personnel Research Assistant Professor Jodi Craigo, Ph.D. Research Instructor Baoshan Zhang, Ph.D. Graduate Student Jonathan Steckbeck, M.B.A., B.S. Research Specialists Shannon Barnes, M.S. Tim Sturgeon, B.S.