Start of funding 01.07.2020

Identification of small molecule modulators of the poxvirus gene expression machinery

Prof. Dr. Utz Fischer
University of Würzburg
Biozentrum Universität Würzburg

Prof. Dr. Garry Nolan
Stanford University
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Clinical Science Research



Vaccinia is a non-pathogenic poxvirus that serves as vaccine and promising tool in viral anti-cancer therapies. Its replication cycle is confined to the cytoplasm and hence is largely independent of the nuclear host factors. Using a novel purification strategy, we identified DNA dependent RNA polymerase (vRNAP) complexes associated with diverse mRNA processing factors and host components. The structural investigation of these complexes provided unprecedented insight into the architecture and function of the poxvirus gene expression machinery. In our BaCaTeC funded collaboration we will establish a medium/high-throughput platform that allows us to identify small molecule modulators of the gene expression machinery of Vaccinia and to elucidate their mode of action.