Research
Research is a primary mission of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Through externally and internally funded leading-edge research initiatives and collaborative partnerships, our faculty, students and research staff are expanding our understanding of microorganisms, disease, and the immune response. Microbiology and immunology provide the building blocks for the treatment of infections and other diseases.
2019 RESEARCH STATISTICS
Recent Publications
Hickok GH, Stromnes IM. Beyond the native repertoire. Science. 2025 Jul 24;389(6758):349-351. PMID: 40705900.
Tisoncik-Go J, Gale M Jr. Enhanced antiviral innate immunity supports the bat reservoir of Marburg virus. Nat Immunol. 2025 Jun;26(6):812-813. doi: 10.1038/s41590-025-02170-2. PMID: 40399610.
Langlois RA, Casanova JL. The potential impacts of human genetics on virus emergence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Sep 30;122(39):e2504318122. PMID: 40971407.
Scott MC, Steier Z, Pierson MJ, Stolley JM, O'Flanagan SD, Soerens AG, Wijeyesinghe SP, Beura LK, Dileepan G, Burbach BJ, Künzli M, Quarnstrom CF, Ghirardelli Smith OC, Weyu E, Hamilton SE, Vezys V, Shalek AK, Masopust D. Deep profiling deconstructs features associated with memory CD8+ T cell tissue residence. Immunity. 2025 Jan 14;58(1):162-181.e10. PMCID: PMC11852946.
Oggenfuss U, Todd RT, Soisangwan N, Kemp B, Guyer A, Beach A, Selmecki A. Candida albicans isolates contain frequent heterozygous structural variants and transposable elements within genes and centromeres. Genome Res. 2025 Apr 14;35(4):824-838. PMCID: PMC12047244.
Ostrer L, Crooks TA, Howe MD, Vo S, Jia Z, Hegde P, Schacht N, Aldrich CC, Baughn AD. Mechanism of the dual action self-potentiating antitubercular drug morphazinamide. PNAS Nexus. 2025 Jul 29;4(8):pgaf242. PMCID: PMC12342587.
Zhou X, Hilk A, Solis NV, Scott N, Beach A, Soisangwan N, Billings CL, Burrack LS, Filler SG, Selmecki A. Single-cell detection of copy number changes reveals dynamic mechanisms of adaptation to antifungals in Candida albicans. Nat Microbiol. 2024 Nov;9(11):2923-2938. PMCID: PMC11524788.
Block AM, Wiegert PC, Namugenyi SB, Tischler AD. Transposon sequencing reveals metabolic pathways essential for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. PLoS Pathog. 2024 Mar 18;20(3):e1011663. PMCID: PMC10977890.
Becker SH, Ronayne CE, Bold TD, Jenkins MK. Antigen-specific CD4+ T cells promote monocyte recruitment and differentiation into glycolytic lung macrophages to control Mycobacterium tuberculosis. PLoS Pathog. 2025 Jun 9;21(6):e1013208. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1013208. PMID: 40489538; PMCID: PMC12193047.
Putri DS, Shepherd FK, Sanders AE, Roach SN, Jay S, Pierson MJ, Wieking G, Anderson JL, Meyerholz DK, Schacker TW, Langlois RA. Naturally transmitted mouse viruses highlight the heterogeneity of virus transmission dynamics in the dirty mouse model. J Virol. 2025 Jun 17;99(6):e0018725. PMCID: PMC12172463.
Krueger PD, Osum KC, Fife BT, Jenkins MK. Foreign epitope-specific regulatory T cells respond robustly to vaccination and limit Th1 differentiation by conventional T cells specific for the same epitope. J Immunol. 2025 Sep 27:vkaf254. PMID: 41014584.
Schmiechen ZC, Nanda HA, Burrack AL, Hickok GH, Butler JZ, Cruz-Hinojoza E, Maurice NJ, Geuenich MJ, Yu C, Tsai AK, Lonetree CL, Ellefson MA, Hilk AL, Larsen BM, Miller EA, Rizzo AB, Campbell KR, Shen SS, Stromnes IM. IL-15 Complex Enhances Agonistic Anti-CD40 + Anti-PDL1 by Correcting the T-bet to Tox Ratio in CD8+ T cells Infiltrating Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Cancer Immunol Res. 2025 Jun 4;13(6):847-866. PMCID: PMC12134750.
Stolley JM, Scott MC, O'Flanagan SD, Künzli M, Matson CA, Weyu E, Langlois RA, Vezys V, Masopust D. Cutting Edge: First Lung Infection Permanently Enlarges Lymph Nodes and Enhances New T Cell Responses. J Immunol. 2024 Jun 1;212(11):1621-1625. PMCID: PMC11250951.
Hajari N, Knoll M, Lu A, Barber-Axthelm I, Gale M Jr. The Zika virus NS5 protein binds HSP90 to suppress EGF-induced Akt signaling and trophoblast cell migration. Virology. 2025 Feb;603:110370. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2024.110370. Epub 2024 Dec 28. PMID: 39765020; PMCID: PMC11832110.
Research Ethics at the University of Minnesota
We are committed to protecting research participants, upholding ethical standards, and improving our practice at every step of our work.