Students Profiles

Heidi Zapata
MSIII
zapatah@upstate.edu

Department: Microbiology & Immunology
Advisor: Jennifer Moffat, Ph.D.

Research Interests

Cells continually monitor their environment through receptors on their surface, continually taking in signals and data from their surroundings, and responding appropriately with gene expression. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are a direct link between cellular cues in the extracellular space and changes in gene expression in the guarded nucleus. There is a growing body of evidence that indicates that viruses trigger signal tranduction pathways; including MAPKs, upon or after entry. My research interest involves how Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), manipulates the cellular environment for its benefit. Our hypothesis is that VZV infection leads to a modulation of signal tranduction pathways, and that this has a role in viral replication.

Awards

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award - Pre-doctoral Fellowship from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2004.

Charles R. Ross Research Poster Session Award -Title: "The Relevance of the JNK MAPK Pathway in Varicella Zoster Virus Infection of Human Foreskin Fibroblasts". 2005.

Publications

Zapata HJ , Nakatsagawa M, Moffat JF. Varicella-zoster virus infection of human fibroblast cells activates the c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway. J Virol. Jan;81(2):977-90, 2007.

Abstracts

Babu, K.R., Ramos, L., Zapata, H., Birge, R.R., Knox, B.E. 2003 Extracellular Loop (EC2) Plays a Central Role in Structure-function Relationship of Short Wavelength Visual Pigments. Invest Opthalmol Vis Sci 44: E-Abstract 5116.

Zapata, H. and Moffat, J.F. The Importance of Signal Transduction Pathways in the Replication of Varicella -Zoster Virus. In Scientific Program, 29th International Herpes Workshop, Reno, Nevada, July 25-30, 2004.

Scientific Meetings

Zapata, H. and Moffat, J.F. The Importance of Signal Transduction Pathways in the Replication of Varicella -Zoster Virus. In Scientific Program,19th Annual National MD/PhD Student Conference, Keystone, Colorado, July 9-11, 2004.

Zapata, H. and Moffat, J.F. The Importance of Signal Transduction Pathways in the Replication of Varicella -Zoster Virus. In Scientific Program, ASM Conference, Signal Transduction in Viral Systems, Savannah, Georgia, December 1-4, 2004.