Date Nov 20, 2024, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Location Thomas Laboratory 003 Audience Free and open to the university community and the public. Speakers Jonathan Abraham Associate Professor Harvard Medical School Details Event Description AbstractAlphaviruses include several agents that can cause lethal encephalitis throughout the Americas when transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitos. I will describe how our lab used genetic screens to identify the very low-density lipoprotein receptor and apolipoprotein E receptor 2 as cellular receptors for eastern equine encephalitis virus and protocadherin 10 as a cellular receptor for western equine encephalitis virus. I will also describe how western equine encephalitis virus strains isolated in North America over the past century have seemingly shifted away from binding to mammalian receptors in preference for avian receptors, suggesting adaptation of this alphavirus to an enzootic host. Sponsor Department of Molecular Biology Contact Alex Ploss, Department of Molecular Biology Event Category Butler Seminar Series