Ph.D., Penn State College of Medicine
Tel: (617) 552-3103
E-mail: burdot@bc.edu
Fields of Interest
NeuroAIDS pathogenesis, HIV/SIV peripheral neuropathy, osteopontin, monocytes/macrophages
Academic Profile
My research has examined the pathogenesis of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, focusing on neuroAIDS resulting from human immunodeficiency (HIV) and the non-human primate equivalent simian immunodeficiency (SIV) infection. I have specifically been interested in the viral and cellular interactions that lead to the disruption of cellular function in neuroAIDS.
My doctoral dissertation research was performed at the Penn State College of Medicine under the guidance of Dr. Brian Wigdahl. During this time, I examined the molecular mechanisms involved in HIV-associated dementia. My focus was the interaction of the cellular protein C/EBP and viral protein R, Vpr, with the HIV long terminal repeat (LTR) and the effect of sequence variation on this interaction. The HIV LTR drives the expression for the entire viral sequence and changes in its interaction may alter replication and disease progression.
For my postdoctoral fellowship, I joined the laboratory of Dr. Howard Fox at the Scripps Research Institute and focused on immune regulation and induction of osteopontin in macrophages and their contribution to neurological disease. One of my main foci was the examination of the mechanisms of monocyte accumulation in the brain during neuroAIDS. This work was critical because monocytes are a major target of the HIV and SIV and also serve as carriers of virus into the brain, where they help maintain viral persistence. We have shown that osteopontin prevents monocyte recirculation and apoptosis and is highly increased in HIV-associated dementia.
My current research focus at Boston College uses these experiences, and I will continue utilizing the non-human primate model of neuroAIDS to examine the role of monocyte/macrophages as viral reservoirs, and the effect of drug therapies in clearing anatomic and histologic reservoirs. In addition, I am beginning to develop an animal model of HIV associated peripheral neuropathy to study the relative roles of virus and activated resident and circulating macrophages in producing dorsal root ganglion cell damage and/or damage to the long sensory tracts in the spinal cord.
Representative Publications
Williams, K.C., and Burdo, T.H. 2009. HIV and SIV infection: the role of cellular restriction and immune responses in viral replication and pathogenesis. APMIS 117(5-6): 400–412.
Coutinho, A., Flynn, C., Burdo, T.H., Mervis, R.F., and Fox, H.S. 2008. Chronic methamphetamine induces structural changes in frontal cortex neurons and upregulates frontal lobe type I interferon. Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology 3(4): 241–245.
Marcondes, M.C.G., Sopper, S., Burdo, T.H., Sauermann, U., Watry, D.D., Zandonatti, M., and Fox, H. S. 2008. CD4 deficits and disease course acceleration can be driven by a collapse of the CD8 response in SIV-infected rhesus macaques. AIDS 22(12): 1441–52.
Burdo, T.H., Ellis, R., and Fox, H. S. 2008. Osteopontin is increased in HIV-associated dementia. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 198(5): 715–722.
Marcondes, M.C.G., Lanigan, C.M.S., Burdo, T.H., Watry, D.D., and Fox, H. S. 2008. Increased expression of monocytes CD44v6 correlates with the development of encephalitis in rhesus macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 197(11): 1567–1576.
Burdo, T.H., Wood, M.R., and Fox, H. S. 2007. Osteopontin prevents monocyte recirculation and apoptosis. The Journal of Leukocyte Biology 81(6): 1504–1511.
Marcondes, M.C., Burdo, T.H., Sopper, S., Huitron-Resendiz, S., Lanigan C., Watry, D., Flynn, C., Zandonatti, M., and Fox, H.S. 2007. Enrichment and persistence of virus-specific CTL in the brain of simian immunodeficiency virus-infected monkeys is associated with a unique cytokine environment. The Journal of Immunology 17(9): 5812–5819.
Burdo, T.H., Katner, S.N., Taffe, M.A., and Fox, H. S. 2006. Neuroimmunity, drugs of abuse and neuroAIDS. Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology 1 (1): 41–49.
Burdo, T.H., Marcondes, M.C.G., Lanigan, C.M.S., Penedo, M.C.T., and Fox, H. S. 2005. Susceptibility of Chinese rhesus monkeys to SIV infection. AIDS 19 (15): 1704–1706.
Gaskill, P. J., Watry, D. D. , Burdo, T. H., and Fox, H. S. 2005. Development and characterization of positively selected brain-adapted SIV. Virology Journal 2 (1): 44.
Burdo, T. H., Nonnemacher, M., Irish, B. P., Choi, C. H., Krebs, F. C., Gartner, S., and Wigdahl, B. 2004. High affinity interaction between HIV-1 Vpr and specific sequences that span the C/EBP and adjacent NF-kB sites within the HIV-1 LTR correlates with HIV-1-associated dementia. DNA and Cell Biology 23 (4): 261–269.
Burdo, T. H., Gartner, S., Mauger, D., and Wigdahl, B. 2004. Region-specific distribution of HIV-1 LTRs containing specific configurations of C/EBP site II in brains derived from demented and non-demented patients. Journal of NeuroVirology 10 (1): 7–14.
Quiterio, S., Grant, C., Hogan, T. H., and Wigdahl, B. 2003. C/EBP- and Tat-mediated activation of the HIV-1 LTR in CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy 57(1): 52–59.
Hogan, T. H., Nonnemacher, M. R., Krebs, F. C., Henderson, A., and Wigdahl, B. 2003. HIV-1 Vpr binding to HIV-1 LTR C/EBP cis-acting elements and adjacent regions is sequence-specific. Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy 57 (1): 44–51.
Nonnemacher, M. R., Hogan, T. H., Quiterio, S., Wigdahl, B., Henderson, A., and Krebs, F. C. 2003. Identification and characterization of C/EBP cis-acting elements in the simian immunodeficiency virus long terminal repeat. Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy 57(1): 36–43.
Hogan, T. H., Stauff, D. L., Krebs, F. C., Gartner, S., Quiterio, S., and Wigdahl, B. 2003. Structural and functional evolution of HIV-1 LTR C/EBP sites and their use as molecular markers for CNS disease progression. Journal of NeuroVirology 9 (1): 55–68.
Hogan, T. H., Krebs, F. C., and Wigdahl, B. 2002. Regulation of HIV-1 gene expression and pathogenesis by CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins (C/EBP) in cells of the monocytic lineage. Journal of NeuroVirology 8 (2): 21–26.
Krebs, F. C., Hogan, T. H., Quiterio, S., Gartner, S., and Wigdahl, B. 2002. Lentiviral LTR-directed expression, sequence variation, and disease pathogenesis. HIV Sequence Compendium, 2001. Kuiken, C.L., Foley, B., Hahn, B., Korber, B., McCutchan, F., Marx, P.A., Mellors, J.W., Sodroski, J., and Wolinksy, S., Eds. Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 10: 1–42.
Ross, H. L., Nonnemacher, M. R., Hogan, T., Quiterio, S. J., Henderson, A., Krebs, F., and Wigdahl, B. 2001. Interaction between CAAT enhancer binding protein and cyclic AMP response element binding protein 1 regulates human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transcription in cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. Journal of Virology 75: 1842–1856.
McAllister, J. J., Philips, D., Millhouse, S., Conner, J., Hogan, T., Ross, H. L., and Wigdahl, B. 2000. Analysis of the HIV-1 LTR NF-kB-proximal Sp site III: Evidence for cell type-specific gene regulation and viral replication. Virology 274: 262–277.
Doern, G.V., Brueggemann, A., Pierce, G., Hogan, T., Holley Jr., H.P., and Rauch, A. 1996. Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among 723 outpatient clinical isolates of Moraxella catarrhalis in the United States in 1994-1995: results of a 30-center national surveillance study. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 40: 2884–2886.
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