Research Assistant Professor
Scientific Coordinator, Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis
melissa.uccellini@mssm.edu
Research Interests
My work focuses on the host response to viral infection, mainly using mouse models. Mx1 is specifically upregulated in response to type I and III IFN. We have generated a Mxgfp knockin mouse strain in order to track the cells that respond to IFN in vivo. We are also studying the TIR-domain containing protein SARM1. We have generated knockout and reporter strains using CRISPR technology in order to study its role in the CNS during viral infection.
Notable Publications
He, W., C. J. Chen, C. E. Mullarkey, J. R. Hamilton, C. K. Wong, P. E. Leon, M. B. Uccellini, V. Chromikova, C. Henry, K. W. Hoffman, J. K. Lim, P. C. Wilson, M. S. Miller, F. Krammer, P. Palese, and G. S. Tan. 2017. Alveolar macrophages are critical for broadly-reactive antibody-mediated protection against influenza A virus in mice. Nat Commun 8: 846.
Hou, Y. J., R. Banerjee, B. Thomas, C. Nathan, A. Garcia-Sastre, A. Ding, and M. B. Uccellini. 2013. SARM is required for neuronal injury and cytokine production in response to central nervous system viral infection. J Immunol 191: 875-883.
O’Neill, S. K., M. L. Veselits, M. Zhang, C. Labno, Y. Cao, A. Finnegan, M. Uccellini, M. L. Alegre, J. C. Cambier, and M. R. Clark. 2009. Endocytic sequestration of the B cell antigen receptor and toll-like receptor 9 in anergic cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106: 6262-6267.
Uccellini, M. B., L. Busconi, N. M. Green, P. Busto, S. R. Christensen, M. J. Shlomchik, A. Marshak-Rothstein, and G. A. Viglianti. 2008. Autoreactive B cells discriminate CpG-rich and CpG-poor DNA and this response is modulated by IFN-alpha. J Immunol 181: 5875-5884.
Boule, M. W., C. Broughton, F. Mackay, S. Akira, A. Marshak-Rothstein, and I. R. Rifkin. 2004. Toll-like receptor 9-dependent and -independent dendritic cell activation by chromatin-immunoglobulin G complexes. J Exp Med 199: 1631-1640.