Nathan Sherer
Credentials: Oncology Department
Position title: Cell biology of HIV replication
Email: nsherer@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 890-2551
Address:
501 Robert M Bock Lab
1525 Linden Dr
Madison, WI 53706
LAB WEBSITE:
FOCUS GROUPS:
Virology; Cancer Biology; RNA Biology
RESEARCH DESCRIPTION:
nWe are interested in the interplay between retroviruses and their cellular hosts during viral replication. Our major focus
is on the cell biology of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) that causes the acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS). All viruses are obligate intracellular organism. Because retroviruses encode a DNA intermediate that
must be inserted into the host cell’s genome and maintained (sometimes for years and years), HIV-1 and other
retroviruses are remarkably adept at exploiting host cellular enzymes and trafficking machineries to assist with their
replication. Currently, a major focus of the lab is understanding viral subversion of the cell to carry out successful HIV-1
RNA subcellular trafficking and virion assembly, using live cell and super resolution imaging methodologies.
Conversely, we are also interested in identifying cell- or species-specific blocks to these activities that might inform the
development of new antiviral strategies. Other projects in the lab are studying the hepatitis B virus (HBV) that causes
hepatocellular carcinoma and “high-risk” strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) that are a major cause of cervical
cancer and other epithelial cancers.
ALSO A TRAINER IN THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS: Microbiology (MDTP), Biophysics, Cancer Biology, Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology (MCP)