Faculty

John Elder 
Professor
Immunology and Microbial Science
TSRI - 1975

Education 
Ph.D., Purdue University, 1975

Awards & Activities 
Reviewing Member, AIDS and Related Research Review Group 2, National Institutes of Health; Editorial Boards, Journal of Virology, Virology.

Research Focus 
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

Our research centers around the molecular and biological characterization of feline immunodeficiency virus, FIV. This virus is a lentivirus similar to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS in humans. FIV causes an AIDS-like disease in the domestic cat and thus provides a valuable small animal model for developing intervention therapies that may be employed to treat virus infections in both man and cat. Potential approaches include development of drug treatments through structure-based rational drug design as well as vaccine development using defined recombinant target antigens. Both approaches demand that we first understand the molecular structure of the virus as well as the virus life cycle. To this end, we have embarked on a series of projects to determine the molecular structure of certain viral enzymes as well as to define regulatory mechanisms that control FIV expression.

Selected References 
Lin, Y-C, Z. Beck, G.M. Morris, A.J. Olson, and J.H. Elder . (2003) Structural Basis for Distinctions between Substrate and Inhibitor Specificities for FIV and HIV Proteases. J. Virol. 77:6589-6600.

Huitron-Resendiz, S., S. de Rozières, M. Sanchez-Alavez, B. Bühler, Y.-C. Lin, D.A. Lerner, N.W. Henriksen, M. Burudi, H.S. Fox, B.E. Torbett, S. Henriksen and J.H. Elder. (2004) Resolution and Prevention of FIV-Induced Neurological Deficits by Treatment with the Protease Inhibitor TL-3. J. Virol. 78:4525-4532.

de Parseval, A., S. Ngo, P.Sun and J.H. Elder. (2004) Factors that Increase the Effective Concentration of CXCR4 Dictate Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Tropism and Kinetics of Replication. J. Virol. 78:9132-9143.

de Rozieres, S., C.K. Mathiason, M.R. Rolston, U. Chatterji, E.A. Hoover and J.H. Elder. (2004) Characterization of a Highly Pathogenic Molecular Clone of FIV-clade C. J. Virol. 78:8971-8982.