Dissertation Defense Announcement
To:  The George Mason University Community

Candidate: Zheng Zhou

Program: PhD in Biosciences



Date:   Wednesday April 25, 2018

Time:   2:00 PM
Place:  George Mason University
             Fairfax campus

             Research Hall, Room 161



Title: " Development of a Human Cellular G-Protein Profiling System for HIV Reservoir Identification"
Committee Chair: Dr. Yuntao Wu
Committee Members:  Dr. James D. Willett, Dr. Vikas Chandhoke, Dr. Yali Chen

All are invited to attend the defense.
ABSTRACT:
G-protein behaves as an essential molecular switch for cellular signaling. Its diversity promotes the signaling variation in different cell types. HIV latent infection requires G-protein signaling. Additionally, a cell type preference exists in HIV latent infection, particularly for memory CD4 T cells, known as a primary viral reservoir. Based on previous studies, we hypothesized that G-protein might serve as a potential marker to identify HIV reservoirs. In this study, we successfully developed a standard assay that can profile multiple G proteins in HIV infected T cells. Through this system, we identified major differences in G protein expression profiles among various human cell types, especially human naive and memory CD4 T cells. This research established a vital tool in understanding the cellular environment permitting HIV persistence.

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