Project Description:

Exploring noncanonical mechanisms of PRR activation.

Where can you find her:

"When I'm not in lab, you'll likely find me hanging out with my dog, watching horror movies, or trying out a new recipe in the kitchen."

Selected Publications: 

Ragan KB, Bhadra S, Choi JH, Towers D, Sullivan CS, Ellington AD. Comparison of media and standards for SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR without prior RNA preparation. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2020 Aug 4:2020.08.01.20166173. doi: 10.1101/2020.08.01.20166173. PMID: 32793925; PMCID: PMC7418746.

Zhang T, Yin C, Boyd DF, Quarato G, Ingram JP, Shubina M, Ragan KB, Ishizuka T, Crawford JC, Tummers B, Rodriguez DA, Xue J, Peri S, Kaiser WJ, López CB, Xu Y, Upton JW, Thomas PG, Green DR, Balachandran S. Influenza Virus Z-RNAs Induce ZBP1-Mediated Necroptosis. Cell. 2020 Mar 19;180(6):1115-1129.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.050. PMID: 32200799; PMCID: PMC7153753.

Sridharan H, Ragan KB, Guo H, Gilley RP, Landsteiner VJ, Kaiser WJ, Upton JW. Murine cytomegalovirus IE3-dependent transcription is required for DAI/ZBP1-mediated necroptosis. EMBO Rep. 2017 Aug;18(8):1429-1441. doi: 10.15252/embr.201743947. Epub 2017 Jun 12. PMID: 28607035; PMCID: PMC5538628.

Thapa RJ, Ingram JP, Ragan KB, Nogusa S, Boyd DF, Benitez AA, Sridharan H, Kosoff R, Shubina M, Landsteiner VJ, Andrake M, Vogel P, Sigal LJ, tenOever BR, Thomas PG, Upton JW, Balachandran S. DAI Senses Influenza A Virus Genomic RNA and Activates RIPK3-Dependent Cell Death. Cell Host Microbe. 2016 Nov 9;20(5):674-681. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2016.09.014. Epub 2016 Oct 13. PMID: 27746097; PMCID: PMC5687825.

One of my favorite pieces of data:

A RIP demonstrating that ZBP1 interacts with IAV RNA in the nucleus, and not the cytoplasm, of infected cells.