Thomas H. Kawula, Ph.D.
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kawula@med.unc.edu 502 Mary Ellen Jones Campus Box 7290 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7290 919.966.9699 |
Research
Our research focuses on elucidating pathogenic mechanisms of the Gram negative bacterial pathogen Francisella tularensis. Specific attention is given to mechanisms that engage the host and subvert host innate and adaptive immune responses. To achieve these goals the lab develops and adapts genetic systems to manipulate the bacteria and to identify and analyze the contributions of specific genetic loci to the infectious process. Models that recapitulate naturally occurring disease are developed and used to study in-depth the intricacies of host – pathogen interactions that define the mechanisms behind bacterial virulence, adaptation and the host response.
Publications
Valentino, MD, ZJ Maben, LL Hensley, MD Woolard, TH Kawula, JA Frelinger, and JG Frelinger. 2011. Identification of T cell epitopes in Francisella tularensis SchuS4 using a protein array of serologic targets. Immunology. Mar;132(3):348-60. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2010.03387.x. PMID: 21214540
Mortensen BL, JR. Fuller, S Taft-Benz, TM Kijek, CN Miller, MTH Huang, JD Hall, and TH Kawula. 2010. The effects of the putative transcriptional regulator IclR on Francisella tularensis pathogenesis. Infection and Immunity. 78:5022-32. PMID:20921140
Huang, MT, BL Mortensen, DJ Taxman, R Craven, S Taft-Benz, T Keijek, JR Fuller, BK Davis, IC Allen, W Brickey, D Gris, HT Wen, TH Kawula*+, and JP Ting*+ (co-sr. authors). 2010. Deletion of ripA alleviates suppression of the inflammasome and MAP kinase by Francisella tularensis. Journal of Immunology. 185:5476-85. PMID: 20921527
*Fuller, JR., TM. Kijek, S. Taft-Benz, and TH. Kawula. Environmental and intracellular regulation of Francisella tularensis ripA. 2009. BMC-Microbiology Oct 12;9:216. PMID: 19821974.
Williams, JC, RR. Craven, TH. Kawula and GK. Matsushima. TAM receptors are dispensable in the phagocytosis and killing of bacteria. 2009. Cellular Immunology 259(2):128-34. PMID: 19625016
Hall, J.D., Kurtz, S.L., Rigel, N.W., Gunn, B.M., Taft-Benz, S., Morrison, J.P., Fong, A.M., Patel. D.D., Braunstein, M., and Kawula, T.H. (2009). The impact of chemokine receptor CX3CR1 deficiency during respiratory infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Francisella tularensis. Clinical and Experimental Immunology. 156: 278-84. PMID: 19250281
Valention, MD, Hensley, LI, Skrombolas, D, McPherson, PL, Woolard, MD, Kawula TH, Frelinger JA, and Frelinger JG. Identification of a dominant CD4 T cell epitope in the membrane lipoprotein Tul4 from Francisella tularensis LVS. Molecular Immunology. 2009. 46(8-9):1830-8. PMID: 19233475
Hall JD, Woolard MD, Gunn BM, Craven RR, Taft-Benz S, Frelinger JA, Kawula, TH. Infected-host-cell repertoire and cellular response in the lung following inhalation of Francisella tularensis Schu S4, LVS, or U112. Infect Immun. 2008. Dec;76(12):5843-52. PMID: 18852251
**Fuller JR, Craven RR, Hall JD, Kijek TM, Taft-Benz S, Kawula TH. RipA, a cytoplasmic membrane protein conserved among Francisella species, is required for intracellular survival. Infect Immun. 2008. 76(11):4934-43. PMID: 18765722
Craven RR, Hall JD, Fuller JR, Taft-Benz S, Kawula TH. Francisella tularensis invasion of lung epithelial cells. Infect Immun. 2008. 76(7):2833-42. PMID: 18426871
Woolard MD, Hensley LL, Kawula TH, Frelinger JA. Respiratory Francisella tularensis live vaccine strain infection induces Th17 cells and prostaglandin E2, which inhibits generation of gamma interferon-positive T cells. Infect Immun. 2008. 76(6):2651-9. PMID: 18391003
Jiang J, Parker CE, Fuller JR, Kawula TH, Borchers CH. An immunoaffinity tandem mass spectrometry (iMALDI) assay for detection of Francisella tularensis. Anal Chim Acta. 2007. 605(1):70-9. PMID: 18022413
Su J, Yang J, Zhao D, Kawula TH, Banas JA, Zhang JR. Genome-wide identification of Francisella tularensis virulence determinants. Infect Immun. 2007. 75(6):3089-101. PMID: 17420240
Hall JD, Craven RR, Fuller JR, Pickles RJ, Kawula TH. Francisella tularensis replicates within alveolar type II epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo following inhalation. Infect Immun. 2007. 75(2):1034-9. PMID: 17088343
Woolard MD, Wilson JE, Hensley LL, Jania LA, Kawula TH, Drake JR, et al. Francisella tularensis-infected macrophages release prostaglandin E2 that blocks T cell proliferation and promotes a Th2-like response. J Immunol. 2007. 178(4):2065-74. PMID: 17277110
