JEFFREY A. FRELINGER, Chair
Steven L. Bachenheimer (30) Molecular Biology of Viruses
*Ralph Baric (76) Molecular Mechanisms of Virus Cross-Species Transmissibility and Pathogenesis
Janne G. Cannon (43) Genetics of Pathogens, Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease, Tularemia and Melioidosis
Stephen H. Clarke (53) Molecular Immunology, Structure and Function of Immunoglobin Genes
*Myron S. Cohen (55) Biology and Epidemiology of Transmission of STD Pathogens (including HIV)
*Jeff Dangl (87) Plant Genetics, Plant Disease Resistance and Cell Death Control, Bacterial Type III Secretion Systems
Marshall H. Edgell (7) Molecular Biology, Protein Biophysics, High Throughput Analyses, Physical Bases for Allostery
Susan A. Fiscus (65) HIV Pathogenesis and Diagnostics
*James D. Folds (9) Immunology of Treponema Pallidum Infection, Clinical Immunology
Jeffrey A. Frelinger (47) Immunogenetics, Cellular Immunology, Immunoresponse to Pathogens
Peter H. Gilligan (51) Bacterial Toxins, Clinical Microbiology
Jack Griffith (35) Chromosome Structure: Viruses and Their Host Cells
*Nortin M. Hadler (26) Mechanism and Control of Chronic Inflammatory Response
*Eng-Shang Huang (48) Molecular Biology, Pathogenesis of Human Cytomegalovirus
Robert E. Johnston (62) Molecular Genetics of Viral Pathogenesis, Recombinant Viral Vaccines
David G. Klapper (33) Immunochemistry, Development of Protein Technology, Structure of Proteins of Immunologic Interest
*David A. Margolis, Regulation of Gene Expression, Molecular Biology of Retroviruses, HIV Pathogenesis
*Steven R. Meshnick (81) Malaria and Pneumocystis, Molecular Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Drug Resistance
John E. Newbold (13) Molecular Virology
*Joseph S. Pagano (14) Epstein-Barr Virus and Ubiquitin-Proteasomal Systems, Interferon Regulatory Factors, Invasion and Metastasis and Antiviral Drugs
*Dhavalkumar Patel, Inflammation, Chemotaxis, GPCR Signal Transduction
Nancy Raab-Traub (52) Molecular Virology and Oncogenesis
*Howard M. Reisner (32) Immunogenetics of Human Plasma Proteins (particularly IgG and Coagulant Factors VII and IX)
*R. Balfour Sartor (77) Etiology and Pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (especially Crohn's Disease and Associated Extraintestinal Manifestations)
*P. Frederick Sparling (18) Bacterial Pathogenesis, Molecular Biology of Bacterial Membranes
*Ronald Swanstrom (74) Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis of HIV
Jenny P. Ting (50) Molecular Immunology, Transcription, Signal Transduction, Apoptosis, Neuroimmunology, Transplantation
*William J. Yount (25) Genetic Control of Antibody Response and Gamma Globulin Synthesis in Humans
Robert Bourret (64) Signal Transduction in Bacteria, Chemotaxis
Edward J. Collins (69) Immune Recognition, T-Cell Activation, Host-Pathogen Interactions
Blossom Damania (79) Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV-8), Rhesus Monkey Rhadinovirus (RRV)
Aravinda de Silva (73) Arthropod Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases and Microbial Pathogenesis
*Patrick M. Flood (60) T-Cell Biology, Tumor Immunity, Neuroimmunology
Jean Handy (37) Virus Infection and Host Nutrition
Thomas Kawula (63) Bacterial Genetics, Microbial Pathogenesis
*Zhi Liu, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Immunology of Hemidesmosome and Basement Membrane
*Silva Markovic-Plese, Autoimmune Response in Multiple Sclerosis, New Immunomodulatory Therapies
Glenn Matsushima (68) Molecular Neuroimmunology, Innate Immunity
*Jonathan Serody (82) Transplantation and Tumor Immunology
*Diane C. Shugars, HIV Pathogenesis
Lishan Su (71) Immune Development, Viral Pathogenesis
Roland Tisch (70) Immune Tolerance, T-Cell Antigen Recognition, T-Cell Mediated Autoimmunity, Tumor Antigen-Specific Genetic Vaccines, Type 1 Diabetes
Miriam Braunstein (80) Bacterial Pathogenesis, Molecular Genetics, Tuberculosis
*Christina Burch, Experimental Studies of Evolution using Viruses
*Bruce Cairns, Immune Response to Injury, Cellular Immunology, Transplantation
Dirk Dittmer (88) West Nile Virus (WNV) and Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV-8)
Morgan Giddings (85) Bioinformatics, Proteomics, Post-Genomic Complexity, Cellular Modeling, Bacterial Pathogenesis
*Mark Heise (83) Molecular Genetics of Viral Pathogenesis
Tal Kafri, Development of HIV-Based Vector for Gene Therapy
Raymond Pickles (86) Respiratory Viruses, Host Innate Defense in the Airway, Virus-Host Cell Interactions, Gene Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis and Other Lung Diseases
Barbara J. Vilen (78) Molecular Immunology, Signal Transduction, and B cell Tolerance
*Jennifer Webster-Cyriaque (84) Oral Manifestations of Systemic Disease, Host-Virus Interactions, Viral Oncogenesis, Viral Pathogenesis during Immunosuppression, Signal Transduction, Cellular Biology, Gene Expression
Matthew C. Wolfgang (89) Microbial Pathogenesis, Bacterial Gene Regulation, Host-Pathogen Interactions
Larry Arnold, Flow Cytometry, Immunogenetics
Nancy L. Davis (66) Molecular Genetics of Viral Pathogenesis, Recombinant Viral Vaccines
Research Associate Professors
*Christopher Elkins, Bacterial Pathogenesis, Iron Acquisition
*Marcia M. Hobbs, Pathogenesis of Non-Viral Sexually Transmitted Infections (Trichomonas vaginalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae )and Molecular Diagnostics
W. June Brickey, Host Immune Responses, Expression Profiling by Microarrays
Edward Gershberg, Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Antiviral Drugs
Alexander Makhov
*Robert Maile
Karen McKinnon, Dendritic Cell Induction of Tumor Specific CD4 and CD8 T Lymphocytes
Ruth Silversmith, Bacterial Chemotaxis, Mechanisms of Phosphotransfer
Reactions
Kenneth F. Bott
William J. Cromartie
Harry Gooder
Clyde A. Hutchison III
G. Philip Manire
John H. Schwab
Myron S. Silverman
Robert Twarog
* joint faculty members
The Department of Microbiology and Immunology, an administrative division of the School of Medicine, is a unit of The Graduate School. It offers instruction leading to the doctor of philosophy degree. A terminal master of science degree is granted only under special conditions. Research in the department, supported by funds from the University, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the American Cancer Society, private foundations, and other granting agencies, focuses on a wide variety of molecularly oriented projects. Areas of investigation include the nature of bacteria and viruses, host-parasite interactions, pathogenic mechanisms, molecular genetics, various areas of immunology, eukaryotic cell and molecular biology, and bioinformatics.
For detailed information, visit the department's Web site at www.med.unc.edu/microimm.
The department occupies approximately 33,000 square feet of the Mary Ellen Jones laboratory office building. A significant number of faculty who hold primary appointments in the department have laboratories housed in the adjacent Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as other departments within the School of Medicine and the School of Public Health.
Major equipment available to laboratories includes high-resolution transmission electron microscopes, automated instrumentation for amino acid analysis and micro-protein sequencing, peptide and oligonucleotide synthesizers, high pressure liquid chromatography systems, fluorescence-activated cell sorters and analyzers, magnetic cell separation equipment, digital fluorescence microscope, and a phosphoimager.
Large, well-equipped research laboratories are supplemented by dedicated tissue culture facilities, darkrooms for X-ray film and photographic applications, warm and cold rooms, supervised animal care facilities, and a P3 physical containment facility for viral research.
The department also contains computer facilities with connections to the Medical Center computer system, which provides access to several sequence comparison programs, including GCG sequence analysis package.
In addition, the University provides access to major technology core facilities with major equipment and expertise. including genomics, NMR, animal histopathology, oligonucleotide synthesis, proteomics, X-ray crystallography, vectors, bioinformatics, animal models (transgenic mouse and embryonic stem cell services), DNA sequencing, gene chip, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, and mass spectrometry.
In 2006 students received an annual stipend of $23,000 plus in-state tuition, fees, and health insurance. Funds are available from the department, the University, and individual research grants; students are strongly encouraged to apply for a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and/or the National Science Foundation.
Although the department has no specific course requirements for admission, applicants with strong undergraduate training in biological sciences, biochemistry, chemistry and/or physics are viewed most favorably. Significant research experience (undergraduate research or relevant work experience) is an important asset. Admission is competitive; the number of applications that we receive far exceeds the number of applicants that we can admit. Along with The Graduate School general application, applicants must submit official transcripts of all post-secondary education, official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test scores, three letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose describing previous research experience and career goals. A personal interview is required and occurs only at the invitation of the Admissions Committee. International students must include a financial certificate and official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores.
The department recommends that all application materials be submitted and received by January 1; however, completed applications will be reviewed as early as December. Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to send in their completed applications as early as possible. Applicants are only admitted into the fall semester.
For information on how to apply, please visit the department's Web site at www.med.unc.edu/microimm.
The graduate program is strongly research oriented. Students admitted to the department generally conduct three laboratory rotation projects during the first year in the process of selecting a research preceptor. First-year students usually take two didactic (lecture) courses each semester, in addition to the laboratory rotations. Most students take MCRO 631 and 632 or MCRO 643 and 644 in the first year, plus an elective didactic course each semester.
In all, students are required to take at least six courses in addition to MCRO 701, 702, and 901; at least two of the courses must be seminar tutorials. Specific courses taken by each student may vary, depending on his/her interests and background. There is no language requirement. Graduate courses in the departments of Cell and Developmental Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pathology, and other departments are available for those students seeking special preparation in these areas. Special arrangements can be made with uniquely qualified medical students wishing to pursue a specific MD/PhD program.
The preliminary examination and oral examination scheduled during the second year stress written and oral command of selected scientific disciplines, rather than a broad comprehensive test of the field. During subsequent years, students focus on the execution of an independent research project, under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Students are usually required to serve as laboratory assistants for one semester each during their second and third year. Most students complete the work for the PhD in five to six years.
515 [112] INTRODUCTION TO MICROBIOLOGY (3). Open only to dental students. A course covering basic aspects of microbiology including sterilization, disinfection, action of antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents, concepts of infection and immunity, and the study of certain selected infectious agents. Forty-three lecture hours and twelve laboratory hours. Spring. Newbold, staff.
614 [114] IMMUNOBIOLOGY (3). Prerequisites, a strong background in molecular biology, eukaryotic genetics, and biochemistry, and permission of the instructor. Topics include immunochemistry; genetic mechanisms and the development of cells and cell interactions; hypersensitivity, autoimmunity, and resistance to infection. Three lectures. Fall. Collins, Vilen, Su.
615 [115] SPECIAL TOPICS IN MICROBIOLOGY OR IMMUNOLOGY (3 or more each semester). Permission of the department required, except for departmental majors. Designed to introduce the student to research methods. Laboratory research projects are conducted with advice and guidance of the staff. May be repeated for credit two or more semesters. Hours and credit to be arranged, any term. Staff.
630 [130] VIROLOGY (4). Prerequisites, molecular biology and cell biology. Current concepts of the chemistry, structure, replication, genetics, and natural history of animal viruses and their host cells. Fall. Damania, Kafri, staff.
631 [108] ADVANCED MOLECULAR BIOLOGY I (GNET 631) (BIOC 631) (PHCO 631) (BIOL 631) (3). Prerequisites for undergraduates, at least one undergraduate course in both biochemistry and genetics, and permission of the instructor. DNA structure, function, and interactions in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, including chromosome structure, replication, recombination, repair, and genome fluidity. Three lecture hours. Fall. Griffith, Sancar, staff.
632 [109] ADVANCED MOLECULAR BIOLOGY II (GNET 632) (BIOC 632) (PHCO 632) (BIOL 632) (3). Prerequisites for undergraduates, at least one undergraduate course in both biochemistry and genetics and permission of the instructor. RNA structure, function, and processing in biological systems including transcription, gene regulation, translation, protein and RNA transport. Spring. Marzluff, Baldwin, Strahl, staff.
635 [135] BACTERIOLOGY (3). Selected aspects of bacterial cell structure, physiology, genetics, genomics, gene expression, signal transduction, and growth outside the laboratory environment. Fall (alternate years). Braunstein, staff.
640 [140] MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS (4). Prerequisites, MCRO 630 and 635, or permission of the instructor. Comprehensive course encompassing the molecular and biological basis of bacterial and viral pathogenesis, including the role of the host response in contributing to the infectious disease process. Spring. Staff.
643 [117] CELL STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND GROWTH CONTROL I (CBIO 643) (BIOC 643) (PHCO 643) (3). Prerequisite, undergraduate cell biology or biochemistry or permission of the instructor. Comprehensive introduction to cell structure, function, and transformation. Fall. Erickson.
644 [118] CELL STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND GROWTH CONTROL II (CBIO 644) (BIOC 644) (PHCO 644) (3). Prerequisite, undergraduate cell biology or biochemistry or permission of the instructor. Comprehensive introduction to cell structure, function, and transformation. Spring. Cox.
701, 702 [201, 202] SEMINAR IN MICROBIOLOGY (1 each). Seminars on selected topics in microbiology. Fall and spring. Staff.
710 [210] SEMINAR/TUTORIAL IN PROKARYOTIC MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (Var.). One or two faculty and a small number of students will consider current research of importance in depth. Emphasis is on current literature, invited speakers, etc., rather than textbooks. Fall. Staff.
711 [211] SEMINAR/TUTORIAL IN ANIMAL VIROLOGY (Var.). One or two faculty and a small number of students consider current research of importance in depth. Emphasis is on current literature, invited speakers, etc., rather than textbooks. Fall. Staff.
712 [212] SEMINAR/TUTORIAL IN IMMUNOLOGY (Var.). One or two faculty and a small number of students consider current research of importance in depth. Emphasis is on current literature, invited speakers, etc., rather than textbooks. Fall and spring. Staff.
790 [290] DIRECTED READINGS IN PROKARYOTIC MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (1). Prerequisite, one prior prokaryotic molecular biology course or permission of the instructor. Directed readings in prokaryotic molecular biology under the direction of a member of the graduate faculty. May be repeated for credit.
791 [291] DIRECTED READINGS IN VIROLOGY (1). Prerequisite, one prior virology course or permission of the instructor. Directed readings in virology under the direction of a member of the graduate faculty. May be repeated for credit.
792 [292] DIRECTED READINGS IN IMMUNOLOGY (1). Prerequisite, one prior immunology course or permission of the instructor. Directed readings in immunology under the direction of a member of the graduate faculty. May be repeated for credit.
795 [295] RESEARCH CONCEPTS (2). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. This course will provide multiple opportunities for the student to write parts of hypothesis-based proposals, receive substantial feedback, and to rewrite the text. There will be approximately ten single-page writing assignments. Edgell, Bourret, Hobbs.
901 [301] RESEARCH IN BACTERIOLOGY OR IMMUNOLOGY (3 or more each semester). Permission of the department required. Designed to introduce the student to research methods and special techniques. Short-term problems are conducted with the advice and guidance of the staff. May be repeated for credit two or more semesters. Hours and credit to be arranged, any term. Staff.
993 [393] MASTER'S THESIS (3 or more each semester). Staff.
994 [394] DOCTORAL DISSERTATION (3 or more each semester). Staff.