Angela Erazo Email: ane10@pitt.edu Lab: Kinchington Lab My project looks at some aspects of host viral interactions with Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), the human alphaherpesvirus that causes chickenpox and zoster ("shingles"). VZV encodes two serine/threonine protein kinases. Our lab has shown that one of these kinases affects multiple host and viral functions, including affecting nuclear import of some viral proteins and altering characteristics of the host cytoskeleton. My project is to identify new viral and cellular targets of the viral protein kinases and determine what role the phosphorylation plays in virus replication. We are using proteomics approaches including 2D gel electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry to identify such targets, as well as a candidate approach to examine specific VZV protein targets. Investigation of the roles of the viral kinases will demonstrate their roles in the viral life cycle and will elucidate some key VZV viral-host interactions.