Isabelle Vergne, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
MSC08 4660
University of New Mexico HSC
915 Camino de Salud NE
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
 
Office: BMSB 383B
Tel: (505) 272-9579
Fax: (505) 272-6029
E-mail: ivergne@salud.unm.edu

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, macrophages, phagosome maturation, lipids, autophagy.

Research Interests

The focus of my research is to understand the mechanisms of phagolysosome biogenesis and the arrest of this process by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its products. My second project focuses on autophagy, a cytoplasmic degradation pathway that eliminates cytosolic protein and organelles, and its role in innate immunity against intracellular pathogens.

Recent publications:

Fratti, R. A., J. Chua, I. Vergne, and V. Deretic. 2003. Mycobacterium tuberculosis glycosylated phosphatidylinositol causes phagosome maturation arrest. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA USA. 100: 5437-5442.

Vergne, I., J. Chua, and V. Deretic. 2003. Tuberculosis Toxin Blocking Phagosome Maturation Inhibits a Novel Ca2+/Calmodulin-PI3K hVPS34 Cascade. J Exp Med 198:653-609. (Journal cover page).

Vergne, I., R.A. Fratti, P.J. Hill, J. Belisle and V. Deretic. 2004. Mycobacterium tuberculosis phagosome maturation arrest: mycobacetrial phosphatidylinositol analog PIM stimulates early endosomal fusion. Mol. Biol. Cell. 15:751-760.

Deretic, V., I. Vergne, J. Chua, S. Master, S. B. Singh, J. A. Fazio, and G. Kyei. 2004. Endosomal membrane traffic: convergence point targeted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and HIV. Cell Microbiol 6:999-1009

Vergne, I., J. Chua, S. B. Singh, and V. Deretic. 2004. Cell biology of mycobacterium tuberculosis phagosome. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 20:367-94. (Review).

Vergne, I., J. Chua, H. H. Lee, M. Lucas, J. Belisle, and V. Deretic. 2005. Mechanism of phagolysosome biogenesis block by viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102:4033-8.

Deretic, V., S. Singh, S. Master, J. Harris, E. Roberts, G. Kyei, A. Davis, S. de Haro, J. Naylor, H. H. Lee, and I. Vergne. 2006. Mycobacterium tuberculosis inhibition of phagolysosome biogenesis and autophagy as a host defence mechanism. Cell Microbiol. 8:719-27. (Review).