Dr. K. Gus Kousoulas, PhD
Director, Divison of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine
Professor
Department of Pathobiological Sciences
Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine
Phone: 225-578-9683
Email: vtgusk@lsu.edu

Institutional Webpage
Recent Publications

Education:

Positions:

Honors:

Patents and Patent Applications:

Major areas of interest:

My primary research interests are focused on the molecular biology and pathogenesis of
herpes simplex viruses (HSV) and human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) or Kaposi's Sarcoma Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV). Specifically, I seek to define the molecular mechanisms that control attachment and penetration of these viruses into susceptible cells (including cells of neuronal origin for HSV), their ability to replicate and spread from cell to cell, and the role of membrane fusion events in intracellular virion transport and egress. Our experimental approach utilizes advanced molecular biology, molecular genetics and cell biology. Briefly, mutant herpesviruses deficient in a particular function are isolated through generalized mutagenesis, site-specific mutagenesis of viral genomes cloned into bacterial artificial chromosomes (BAC).These engineered viruses are studied to learn about the role of specific virus encoded proteins in host cell attachment, penetration, virus induced cell fusion virion assembly and egress. To analyze the role of specific viral genes in virus penetration and virus-induced cell fusion these genes are expressed in transient, eukaryotic expression systems and the expressed proteins are detected using specific monoclonal antibodies produced in my laboratory. In addition, monoclonal and monospecific sera against viral proteins are utilized to locate their target proteins in infected cells using confocal and immunoelectron microscopy and to analyze their structure and function. A major finding from our studies has implicated multiple protein-protein interactions among viral membrane proteins of both HSV-1 and KSHV in regulation of virus-induced membrane fusion phenomena. Similarly, multiple interactions among membrane proteins and tegument proteins have been found to regulate cytoplasmic virion envelopment.

A second major interest of my laboratory is the molecular biology and pathogenesis of human and bovine coronaviruses. We have derived and compared the entire genomic nucleotide sequence of several respiratory and enteric bovine coronaviruses and identified specific nucleotide changes, which may be associated with virus tropism. Currently, we are in the final steps of assembling an infectious cDNA of BCV and SARS coronavirus using BAC plasmids. Future experimentation will involve the use of the infectious cDNAs to investigate the molecular determinants of these viruses responsible for their infectivity and spread and their ability to cause virus-induced cell fusion.

A third major interest of my laboratory is the production of vaccines for West Nile virus, herpes B virus and Simian Retrovirus-5 using vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and adenovirus-based vectors. This work is carried out in collaboration with the Tulane National Research Primate Center.

Other interests include: the application of DNA based methods for the diagnosis of infectious disease pathogens and genetic diseases of humans and animals, biophysical and genetic approaches to analyze the structure and function of proteins, the use of viruses for gene therapy and vaccine purposes, and the utilization of computers for biological research and teaching. 

Teaching Philosophy:

We live in an era that demands change in the way teaching of molecular biology, biotechnology and related disciplines is performed for undergraduate, medical and veterinary and graduate level courses. The rapid growth of molecular biological knowledge is itself a powerful force for change. Biotechnology is heavily dependent on molecular biology and genetic principles as well as increasingly focusing on concepts that cut across scientific fields including chemistry, physics, mathematics and information science. I believe that classroom and laboratory instruction need to adapt to these changing times by emphasizing flexibility, critical thinking and problem solving in an interactive and friendly environment that places students and faculty as partners working side-by-side in learning.