Dennis J. O'Callaghan

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Dennis John O'Callaghan (born July 26, 1940 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American virologist, immunologist, and biochemist. He is an internationally recognized expert on the molecular biology of the equine herpesviruses.

Contents

Biography

He graduated in 1962 with a B.S. in biology from Loyola University New Orleans and in 1968 with a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. [1] His Ph.D. thesis is entitled Biochemical studies of equine abortion virus replication in L-M cells. [2] He trained under the direction of Charles Chandler Randall (1913–2007). [1] [3] At the University of Alberta Medical Center in Edmonton, Canada, O'Callaghan was from 1968 to 1970 a postdoctoral research fellow and from 1970 to 1971 an assistant professor of biochemistry. In the department of microbiology of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, he was an assistant professor from 1971 to 1974, an associate professor from 1974 to 1977, and a full professor from 1977 to 1984. From 1984 until his retirement as professor emeritus in 2018, he was a professor and chair of the department of microbiology and immunology at LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport. There he established the Center for Molecular and Tumor Virology. [1] [4]

O'Callaghan has served on the editorial boards of Virus Research , Virology , Recent Research Developments in Virology, and the Journal of Virology . [1] In the early 1990s, on behalf of Research Corporation Technologies, Inc. headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, he patented an antibody protective against EHV-1. [5] He and Nikolaus Osterrieder [6] contributed the chapter Equine herpesviruses (Herpesviridae) to the 1999 edition of the Encyclopedia of Virology. [7]

He was the president of the American Society for Virology (ASV) for the academic year 2000–2001. [4] He was elected in 2002 a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. [8]

O'Callaghan's research on the biochemistry of herpesviruses reveals how viral regulator proteins govern the viral genome's expression. He and his colleagues have elucidated "the functional domains of viral regulatory proteins, the interactions of viral and cellular proteins, and how these interactions either up-regulate or retard viral gene expression." [1]

In June 1967 in Jackson, Mississippi, he married Helen Frances Briscoe (1941–2018), a medical geneticist and watercolorist. They became the parents of one son and the grandparents of twin grandsons. [9]

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">SV40</span> Species of virus

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus</span> Species of virus

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the ninth known human herpesvirus; its formal name according to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) is Human gammaherpesvirus 8, or HHV-8 in short. Like other herpesviruses, its informal names are used interchangeably with its formal ICTV name. This virus causes Kaposi's sarcoma, a cancer commonly occurring in AIDS patients, as well as primary effusion lymphoma, HHV-8-associated multicentric Castleman's disease and KSHV inflammatory cytokine syndrome. It is one of seven currently known human cancer viruses, or oncoviruses. Even after many years since the discovery of KSHV/HHV8, there is no known cure for KSHV associated tumorigenesis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arenavirus</span> Family of RNA viruses

An arenavirus is a bi- or trisegmented ambisense RNA virus that is a member of the family Arenaviridae. These viruses infect rodents and occasionally humans. A class of novel, highly divergent arenaviruses, properly known as reptarenaviruses, have also been discovered which infect snakes to produce inclusion body disease, mostly in boa constrictors. At least eight arenaviruses are known to cause human disease. The diseases derived from arenaviruses range in severity. Aseptic meningitis, a severe human disease that causes inflammation covering the brain and spinal cord, can arise from the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Hemorrhagic fever syndromes, including Lassa fever, are derived from infections such as Guanarito virus, Junin virus, Lassa virus, Lujo virus, Machupo virus, Sabia virus, or Whitewater Arroyo virus. Because of the epidemiological association with rodents, some arenaviruses and bunyaviruses are designated as roboviruses.

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<i>Herpesviridae</i> Family of DNA viruses

Herpesviridae is a large family of DNA viruses that cause infections and certain diseases in animals, including humans. The members of this family are also known as herpesviruses. The family name is derived from the Greek word ἕρπειν, referring to spreading cutaneous lesions, usually involving blisters, seen in flares of herpes simplex 1, herpes simplex 2 and herpes zoster (shingles). In 1971, the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) established Herpesvirus as a genus with 23 viruses among four groups. As of 2020, 115 species are recognized, all but one of which are in one of the three subfamilies. Herpesviruses can cause both latent and lytic infections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duck plague</span> Disease caused by Anatid alphaherpesvirus 1

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A viral tegument or tegument, more commonly known as a viral matrix, is a cluster of proteins that lines the space between the envelope and nucleocapsid of all herpesviruses. The tegument generally contains proteins that aid in viral DNA replication and evasion of the immune response, typically with inhibition of signalling in the immune system and activation of interferons. The tegument is usually released shortly after infection into the cytoplasm. These proteins are usually formed within the late phase of the viral infectious cycle, after viral genes have been replicated. Much information regarding viral teguments has been gathered from studying herpes simplex virus.

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Ictalurid herpesvirus 1 (IcHV-1) is a species of virus in the genus Ictalurivirus, family Alloherpesviridae, and order Herpesvirales. It causes disease in channel catfish and blue catfish, and can cause significant economic loss in catfish farms. The disease is endemic in the USA and there are reports of the virus in Honduras and Russia.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dennis J. O'Callaghan, PhD" (PDF). News and Events, Graduate School, University of Mississippi Medica Center. 2008.
  2. Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series: 1969: January-June. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. 1972. p. 826.
  3. "Obituary. Dr. Charles Chandler Randall". Clarion Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. April 4, 2007.
  4. 1 2 "Dr. Dennis O'Callaghan retires after 34 years at LSU Health Shreveport | BIZ - Northwest Louisiana". March 18, 2018.
  5. Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Patents. U.S. Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office. 1998. p. 2756.
  6. "Professor Nikolaus Osterrieder". Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong.
  7. Granoff, Allan; Webster, Robert G., eds. (27 July 1999). "Equine herpesviruses (Herpesviridae) by Dennis J. O'Callaghan and Nikolaus Osterrieder". Encyclopedia of Virology. Elsevier. pp. 508–515. ISBN   9780080547978.
  8. "Historic Fellows". American Association for the Advancement of Science.
  9. "Helen Frances Briscoe O'Callaghan 1941–2018". The Shreveport Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. November 28, 2018.