Olli Kalliolinna

University of Jyväskylä
Supervisor: Maija Vihinen-Ranta
Funding: other
Date: 2010-01-01

Nuclear interactions and dynamics of parvoviral nonstructural proteins

The nuclear replication strategies of DNA viruses and the virus-induced perturbation of host cell nuclear structures differ considerably among virus families. The nuclear viral components are not randomly distributed, but interact with both pre-existing and virus-induced structures. Viral exploitation of the host cell nuclear transport and replicative machinery and virus-induced alterations in the nuclear architecture and dynamics are still poorly understood.

In this project, we aim to advance the state-of-the-art in describing specific virus-nucleus interactions and dynamics in the nucleus. In these studies a combination of advanced imaging and analyzing techniques including live cell imaging, x-ray tomography and computational methods will be applied. This system provides a versatile experimental model for understanding the molecular mechanism of intranuclear interactions and dynamics, and nuclear modifications in parvovirus-infected cells. Our studies will provide detailed knowledge of mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and the global behaviour of nuclear proteinaceous structures and chromatin under stress condition induced by viruses.