College of Graduate Studies student abstract
So the university community can learn more about research College of Graduate Studies students conduct in their pursuit of an MUSC degree, The Catalyst publishes their dissertation abstracts in this column. Each published abstract represents a successful defense of a student's research as judged by the college faculty.Dissertation title: Murine Cytomegalovirus Infection of the Salivary
Gland: Investigation of the Salivary Gland as an Inductive Site in the
Mucosal Immune System.
Ph.D.
candidate: Mark Pilgrim MCBP program
Successfully defended on Sept. 1. Mentor: Steven London, DDS, Ph.D., professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
The mouth is a significant entry point for bacteria and viruses that cause disease.
To prevent invasion of the body through the mouth by pathogens, the salivary gland produces antibodies and other defensive molecules in saliva. Stimulation of immune responses by the salivary gland is important in preventing viral infection in the mouth.
Therefore, my research focused on the salivary gland as a potential target for immunization using mouse cytomegalovirus, or MCMV. MCMV is a herpes virus that infects mice and is used to mimic pathology seen during human CMV infections. It is widely known that herpes viruses can be shed in the mouth, as is the case with herpes simplex virus type 1 (oral herpes). In addition, CMV is thought to be transmitted by saliva and in airborne respiratory droplets.
This makes studying MCMV infection in the oral cavity clinically significant.
We found that immunization of the salivary gland with MCMV results in the production of antibodies in the serum and saliva of infected mice. These antibodies are produced locally in the salivary glands and the draining lymph nodes as well as in the spleen. These immune responses are sufficient to protect mice from further immunological challenge.
When mice were immunized in the salivary gland with MCMV, then challenged one month after immunization, they were protected from high levels of MCMV and tissue damage in various organs. From these studies, we determined that immunizations that target the salivary gland may be capable of protecting mice when they encounter oral pathogens for a second time.
Future plans: I plan to continue doing research in microbiology and
immunology at an academic institution. I am also interested in teaching
at the undergraduate and graduate level. Therefore, I have applied to two
“teaching post-doc” programs—postdoctoral fellowships with a teaching component
funded by the NIH—at UNC-Chapel Hill and Emory University and a traditional
post-doctoral fellowship at the Human Vaccine Institute at Duke University.
I am still awaiting news on the status of my applications.
Friday, Oct. 8, 2004
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