Ireton Lab Research
Research Overview
My laboratory studies molecular mechanisms of virulence of the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. One ongoing project focuses on understanding the process by which Listeria induces its internalization into host human cells. Another project examines how Listeria spreads from infected human cells to surrounding healthy cells.
Research Projects
Project 1: Identification of human signaling proteins involved in internalization of Listeria monocytogenes
Project 2: Identification of human proteins involved in cell-cell spread of Listeria monocytogenes
Selected Publications
Leung, N., Gianfelice, A., Gray-Owen, S.D., and Ireton, K. 2013. Impact of the Listeria monocytogenes protein InlC on infection in mice. Infec. Immun. 81: 1334-1240.
Jiwani, S., Wang, Y., Dowd, G.C., Gianfelice, A., Pichestapong, P., Gavicherla, B., Vanbennekom, N., and Ireton, K. 2012. Identification of components of the host type IA PI 3-kinase pathway that promote internalization of Listeria monocytogenes. Infect. Immun. 80: 1252-1266.
Ireton, K. 2010. Anthrax toxins - roadblocks for exocytic trafficking. Dev Cell. 19:643-4
Gavicherla, B., Ritchey, L., Gianfelice, A., Kolokoltsov, A.A., Davey, R.A., and Ireton, K. 2010. Critical role for the host GTPase activating protein ARAP2 in InIB-mediated entry of Listeria monocytogenes. Infect. Immun. 78:4532-41
Taylor, M., Navarro-Garcia, F., Huerta, J., Burress, H., Massey, S., Ireton, K., and Teter, K. 2010. Hsp90 is required for transfer of the cholera toxin A1 subunit from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cytosol. J. Biol. Chem. 285:31261-7
Rajabian, T., Gavicherla, B., Heisig, M., Muller-Altrock, S., Goebel, W., Gray-Owen, S.D., and Ireton, K. 2009. The bacterial virulence factor InIC perturbs apical cell junctions and promotes cell-cell spread of Listeria. 2009. Nat. Cell Biol. 11:1212-18
Goldoni, S., Humphries, A., Mystrom, A., Sattar, S., Owens, R.T., McQuillan, D.J., Ireton, K., and Iozzo, R.V. 2009. Decorin is a novel antagonistic ligand of the Met receptor. J. Cell Biol. 185:743-54
Gao, X., Lorinczi, M., Hill, K.S., Brooks, N.C., Dokainish, H., Ireton, K., and Elferink, L.A. 2009. Met receptor tyrosine kinase degradation is altered in response to the LRR fragment of the Listeria invasion protein InIB. J. Biol. Chem. 284:774-83
Dokainish, H., Gavicherla, B., Shen, Y., and Ireton, K. 2007. The carboxyl-terminal SH3 domain of the mammalian adaptor protein CrkII promotes internalization of Listeria monocytogenes through activation of host phosphoinositide 3-kinase. Cell. Microbiol. 9:2497-616
Ireton, K. Entry of the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes into mammalian cells. 2007. Cell. Microbiol. 9 1365-75
Li, N., Lorinczi, M., Ireton, K., and Elferink, L.A. 2007. Specific Grb2-mediated interactions regulate clathrin-dependent endocytosis of the cMet-tyrosine kinase. J. Biol. Chem. 282:16764-75
Lee, W., Cosio, G., Ireton, K., and Grinstein, S. 2007. Role of CrkII in Fcg receptor-mediated phagocytosis. J. Biol. Chem. 282:11135-43.
PubMed link to all publications
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Ireton%20K
Downloadable publications available at Research Gate
Lab Members and Postgraduate Students
Antonella Gianfelice (Post-doctoral Fellow)
Georgina Dowd (Post-doctoral Fellow)
Luciano Rigano (Post-doctoral Fellow)
Phuong Le (M.Sc. student)
Daria Law (honours student; Biomed Sci)
Simon Shirley (honours student; Microbiology)
Sources of Funding
National Institutes of Health (R01 AI85072)
Marsden Fund (UOO1003)
Lotteries Health Research
Recruitment
I am interested in recruiting talented post-graduate students for the two above research projects.
Contact Keith Ireton (keith.ireton@otago.ac.nz) for details.
For available post-graduate scholarships, please see this website.