Department of Microbiology and Immunology
WILLIAM E. GOLDMAN, Chair
Professors
Steven L. Bachenheimer (30) Molecular Biology of Viruses
*Ralph Baric (76) Molecular Mechanisms of Virus Cross-Species Transmissibility and Pathogenesis
Robert Bourret (64) Signal Transduction in Bacteria, Chemotaxis
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
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
William E. Goldman, Pathogenesis of Respiratory Tract Infections: Histoplasmosis, Pertussis and Plague
*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
*Zhi Liu (91) Biochemistry, Cell Biology, and Immunology of Hemidesmosome and Basement Membrane
*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
*Virginia L. Miller: Molecular and Genetic Analysis of Microbial Pathogenesis, Virulence Gene Regulation, Host-Pathogen Interactions
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
Lishan Su (71) Immune Development, Viral Pathogenesis
*Ronald Swanstrom (74) Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis of HIV
Jenny P. Ting (50) Molecular Immunology, Transcription, Signal Transduction, Apoptosis, Neuroimmunology, Transplantation
Roland Tisch (70) Immune Tolerance, T-Cell Antigen Recognition, T-Cell Mediated Autoimmunity, Tumor Antigen-Specific Genetic Vaccines, Type 1 Diabetes
*William J. Yount (25) Genetic Control of Antibody Response and Gamma Globulin Synthesis in Humans
Associate Professors
*Christina Burch, Experimental Studies of Evolution using Viruses
*Bruce Cairns, Immune Response to Injury, Cellular Immunology, Transplantation
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
Dirk Dittmer (88) West Nile Virus (WNV) and Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV-8)
*Patrick M. Flood (60) T-Cell Biology, Tumor Immunity, Neuroimmunology
Jean Handy (37) Virus Infection and Host Nutrition
Tal Kafri, Development of HIV-Based Vector for Gene Therapy
Thomas Kawula (63) Bacterial Genetics, Microbial Pathogenesis
*Silva Markovic-Plese, Autoimmune Response in Multiple Sclerosis, New Immunomodulatory Therapies
Glenn Matsushima (68) Molecular Neuroimmunology, Innate Immunity
Raymond Pickles (86) Respiratory Viruses, Host Innate Defense in the Airway, Virus-Host Cell Interactions, Gene Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis and Other Lung Diseases
*Plevy, Scott (92) Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research and Treatment
*Jonathan Serody (82) Transplantation and Tumor Immunology
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
Assistant Professors
Miriam Braunstein (80) Bacterial Pathogenesis, Molecular Genetics, Tuberculosis
Morgan Giddings (85) Bioinformatics, Proteomics, Post-Genomic Complexity, Cellular Modeling, Bacterial Pathogenesis
*Mark Heise (83) Molecular Genetics of Viral Pathogenesis
Matthew C. Wolfgang (89) Microbial Pathogenesis, Bacterial Gene Regulation, Host-Pathogen Interactions
Research Professors
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
Research Assistant Professors
W. June Brickey, Host Immune Responses, Expression Profiling by Microarrays
Patrick Harrington, Virology, Vaccine Design
John Lich
Alexander Makhov
*Robert Maile, Cellular Immunology, Burn Immunology, Transplantation, T Cell Regulation, Bacterial and Viral Infectivity.
Karen McKinnon, Dendritic Cell Induction of Tumor Specific CD4 and CD8 T Lymphocytes
Julie A.E. Nelson, Molecular Virology, HIV Evolution and Pathogenesis, HCV Co-infection, HIV Assay Development
Ruth Silversmith, Bacterial Chemotaxis, Mechanisms of Phosphotransfer Reactions
Debra J. Taxman, Molecular Immunology, Signal Transduction, Transcription, RNA Interference
Professors Emeriti
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 microimm.med.unc.edu.
Facilities
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.
Admission Requirements
For admission into the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, students apply to the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP). This program is a common portal by which students interested in any of the 12 participating graduate programs will begin their graduate studies at UNC.
Students interested in applying to Microbiology and Immunology may visit www.med.unc.edu/bbsp, fill out the online application, and select Microbiology and Immunology as the first choice of interest. Students with broader interests may select other areas of interest.
If admitted, BBSP students will have the freedom to choose their three laboratory rotations and course work from any of the 12 participating graduate programs during the first year. Students are welcome to consult with the director of graduate studies at any time regarding microbiology and immunology course work and program details.
At the end of the first year, BBSP students will choose a research mentor/thesis advisor who is affiliated with the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and will become microbiology and immunology graduate students. Once in the program, students complete required course work and preliminary examinations, propose a research topic, choose a dissertation committee and engage in dissertation research.
Program of Study
The interdisciplinary Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP) will advise for course work during the first year of study; however, if a student is focused in the microbiology and immunology discipline, it is recommended that the student take any of the following courses: Virology (MCRO 630), Microbial Pathogenesis I (MCRO 635), Microbial Pathogenesis II (MCRO 640) or Immunobiology (MCRO 614). Other courses recommended are Advanced Molecular Biology (MCRO 631/632) or Cell Biology (MCRO 643/644).
In year two, students begin formal training in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Specific courses taken by each student may vary depending on interest and background. 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. In all, students are required to take a minimum of six courses; at least two of the courses must be seminar tutorials. There is no language requirement. There is also a written preliminary examination, which is in the form of an NIH-style grant, and an oral examination, both of which stress written and oral command of selected scientific disciplines, rather than a broad comprehensive test of the field. Lastly, two semesters of teaching assistantships are part of the program.
During subsequent years, students focus on the execution of an independent research project under the guidance of a faculty advisor. It is expected that the student will provide an annual student seminar and continue to attend the departmental seminar series. Finally, award of the Ph.D. degree is a result of publications, a written dissertation, public presentation, an oral defense of the student's work and knowledge and a final submission to The Graduate School. Most students complete the work for the Ph.D. in five to six years.
Financial Assistance
All students making satisfactory degree progress will receive an annual stipend 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 predoctoral fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and/or the National Science Foundation.
Courses for Graduates and Advanced Undergraduates
515 [112] INTRODUCTION TO MICROBIOLOGY (4). Open only to dental students. A course covering basic aspects of microbiology and immunology including sterilization, action of antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents, concepts of infection and immunity, and the study of certain selected infectious agents. Spring. Newbold, staff.
614 [114] IMMUNOBIOLOGY (3). Prerequisites, a strong background in molecular biology, eukaryotic genetics, and biochemistry, and permission of the instructor. Advanced survey course with topics that include molecular recognition, genetic mechanisms of host resistance, development of cells and cell interactions; hypersensitivity, autoimmunity and resistance to infection. Course material from textbook and primary literature. Fall. Collins, staff.
615 [115] SPECIAL TOPICS IN MICROBIOLOGY OR IMMUNOLOGY (three or more sections offered each semester) (1–21). Permission of the department except for department majors. Designed to introduce the student to research methods. Minor investigative problems are conducted with advice and guidance of the staff. Hours and credit to be arranged, any term. May be repeated for credit two or more semesters. Staff.
630 VIROLOGY (3). 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 (BIOC 631, BIOL 631, GNET 631, PHCO 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 a week. Fall. Griffith, Sancar, staff.
632 [109] ADVANCED MOLECULAR BIOLOGY II (BIOC 632, BIOL 632, GNET 632, PHCO 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, proteins and RNA transport. Spring. Marzluff, Baldwin, Strahl, staff.
635 [135] MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS I (3). Prerequisites, course work in molecular biology and genetics and permission of the instructor. Topics include bacterial physiology, genetics, signal transduction, gene regulation and the localization of proteins in bacteria. Fall . Staff.
640 [140] MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS II (3). Prerequisites, a fundamental understanding of molecular virology and immunology and permission of the instructor. Molecular pathogenesis, with a primary focus on viral pathogens. Additional topics include vaccines and genetics of host-pathogen interactions. Spring. Staff.
643 [117] CELL STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND GROWTH CONTROL I (BIOC 643, CBIO 643, PHCO 643) (3). Prerequisite, undergraduate cell biology or biochemistry or permission of the instructor. A comprehensive lecture- and discussion-based course covering research on membrane structure, membrane trafficking, the cytoskeleton, the extracellular matrix and ion channels. The final block of lectures will apply an understanding of these subjects to various hot topics in cell biology. Fall. Erickson.
644 [118] CELL STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND GROWTH CONTROL II (BIOC 644, CBIO 644, PHCO 644) (3). Prerequisites, undergraduate cell biology or biochemistry, or permission of instructor. Comprehensive introduction to cell structure, function and transformation. Spring. Cox.
Courses for Graduates
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 (1–21). 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 (1–21). 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 (1–21). 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 10 single-page writing assignments. Edgell, Bourret, Hobbs.
901 [301] RESEARCH IN BACTERIOLOGY OR IMMUNOLOGY (1–21). 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 (3–6). Staff.
994 [394] DOCTORAL DISSERTATION (3–9). Staff.