Karsten Hueffer
Assistant Professor
University of Alaska Fairbanks
PO Box 757000
266 Arctic Health Building
Fairbanks, Alaska 99508
907-474-6313
● Microbiology
● infectious diseases
Affiliations
● INBRE
(IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence)
● University of Alaska Fairbanks
Institute of Arctic Biology
Biology & Wildlife
Chemistry & Biochemistry
College Natural Science & Mathematics
Specialties
● Zoonotic pathogens & distribution in ecosystem
● Host pathogen interactions
Education
● School of Veterinary Medicine (DVM Equivalent)
Hannover, Germany
● Ph.D. Comparative Biomedical Science
Cornell University, Ithica, NY
● Post Doctoral Microbial Pathogenesis
Yale University, New Haven, CT
Research Overview
Host pathogen interaction in infectious disease. I am interested in how pathogens exploit cellular function in their life cycles. These studies are important not only for the better understanding of the biology of infectious disease and for developing new therapeutic strategies against them, but also for the better understanding of host cell biology, using infectious agents as an evolutionarily well-adapted tool in cell biology. We investigate the interactions between Francisella tularensis subspecies novicida with host cells. More specifically we investigate the role of a genetic element in Francisella (the Francisella pathogenicity island) in pathogenesis. In addition we are interested in other zoonotic pathogens and their distribution in the Alaska Ecosystem. This work is done in close collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Todd M. O'Hara here at UAF.
Current Research Projects
● Francisella Pathogenicity Island encodes for proteins that are secreted during infection and influence the infection process as secreted effector proteins.
● Arctic Fox surveillance
Current Students
Graduate Students
2007-present Rebekah Hare
Ph.D. Student
Biology & Wildlife
University of Alaska Fairbanks
2010-present Cristina Hansen, DVM
Ph.D. Student
Biology & Wildlife
University of Alaska Fairbanks
2010-present Renee Rember, MS, DMV
Ph.D. Student
Biology & Wildlife
University of Alaska Fairbanks
2009-present Lisa K. Smith
MS Student
Biochemistry
University of Alaska Fairbanks
2009-present Katie Kox
MS Student
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Publications (in chronological order)
Peer Reviewed Publications
1. Chen, C., Burton-Wurster, N., Bordon, C., Hueffer, K., Bloom, S., Lust, G.: Chondrocyte necrosis and apoptosis in impact damaged articular cartilage; Journal of Orthopaedical Research 19 (2001) 703-711 [PMID:11518282]
2. Hueffer, K., Parker, J., Weichert, W., Geisel, R., Sgro, J., Parrish, C. R.: The natural host range shift and subsequent evolution of canine parvovirus resulted from virus-specific binding to the canine transferring receptor. Journal of Virology 77 (2003) 1718-1726 [PMID: 12525605]
3. Palermo, L., Hueffer, K., Parrish, C. R.: Residues in the apical domain of the feline and canine transferrin receptors control host-specific binding and cell infection of canine and feline parvoviruses. Journal of Virology 77 (2003) 8915-8923. [PMID: 12885908]
4. Hueffer, K., Parrish C. R. (review): Parvovirus host range, cell tropism and evolution. Current Opinion in Microbiology 6 (2003) 392-398. [PMID: 12941411]
5. Hueffer, K, Govindasamy, L., Agbandje-McKenna, M., Parrish, C. R.: Combinations of two capsid regions controlling canine host range determine canine transferrin receptor binding by canine and feline parvoviruses. Journal of Virology 77 (2003) 10099-10105. [PMID: 12941920]
6. Govindasamy, L., Hueffer, K., Parrish, C. R., Agbandje-McKenna, M.: Structures of host range-controlling regions of the capsids of canine and feline parvoviruses and mutants. Journal of Virology 77 (2003) 12211-12221. [PMID: 14581558]
7. Hueffer, K., Truyen, U., Parrish, C. R. (review): Evolution und Wirtswechsel des Caninen Parvovirus: Molekulare Grundlagen der Entstehung eines neuen Virus Berliner Muenchner Tieraerztliche Wochenschrift 117 (2004):130 – 135
8. Hueffer, K., Palermo, L., Parrish, C.: Parvovirus infection of cells using variants of the feline transferrin receptor altering - clathrin-mediated endocytosis, membrane domain localization and capsid binding domains. Journal of Virology 78 (2004): 5601–5611. [PMID: 15140957]
9. Hernandez, L., Hueffer, K., Wenk, M., Galán, J. E.: Salmonella modulates vesicular trafficking by altering phosphoinositide metabolism.Science 304 (2004): 1805-1807. [PMID: 15205533]
10. Hueffer, K., and J. E. Galán. (review): Salmonella-induced macrophage death: multiple mechanisms, different outcomes. Cell Microbiol 6 (2004):1019-1025. [PMID: 15469431]
11. Read, A, Vogl, S. J., Hueffer, K., Gallagher, L. A., and Happ, G. M.: Francisella genes required for replication in mosquito cells. Journal of Medical Entomology. 45 (2008):1108-1116. [PMID: 19058636]
12. Patel, J. C., Hueffer, K., Lam, T. T., and Galán, J. E.: Diversification of a Salmonella effector protein function by ubiquitin-dependent differential localization. Cell (137) (2009): 283-294. [PMID: 19379694]
13. Triebenbach, A. N, Vogl, S. J.,Lotspeich-Cole, L., Sikes, D. S., Happ, G. M., Hueffer, K.: Detection of Francisella tularensis in Alaskan Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and Assessment of a Laboratory Model for Transmission. Journal of Medical Entomology. 47 (2010): 639-648 [PMID: 20695280]
14. Hueffer, K., Armbruster, P., Daehler, C., Ferzli, M., Godwin, J., Mulder, C.P.H., Sherwood,A.: Species Interaction, Advantageous or Not: the Fig-Wasp relationship. EcoEdNet (2010) http://esa.org/ecoed/index.php?P=FullRecord&ID=318
15. Hueffer, K., Lieske, C. L., McGilvary, L. M., Hare, R. F., Miller, D. L., O’Hara, T. M.: Strectocccus phocae Isolated form a Spotted Seal (Phoca largha) with Pyometra in Alaska. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. 42, (2011): 108-112
16. Hueffer, K., O’Hara T. M., Follmann E. F. (review): Adaptation of Mammalian Host-Pathogen Interactions in a Changing Arctic Environment. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. 53 (2011): (1):17 [PMID: 21392401]