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Faculty Detail     Name MARK WALTER   Campus Address CBSE 144 Zip 4400 Phone 205-934-9279 E-mail walter@uab.edu Other websites My Publications

Faculty Appointment(s) Appointment Type Department Division Rank Primary  Microbiology  Microbiology Professor Secondary  Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics  Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Assistant Professor Secondary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Professor Center  Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Diseases Center  Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Diseases Center Professor Center  Pathology   Cell Adhesion & Matrix Research Center Professor Center  Center for AIDS Research  Center for AIDS Research Professor Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Program  Biochemistry and Structural Biology  Cellular and Molecular Biology Program  Immunology  Medical Scientist Training Program  Microbiology

Biographical Sketch  Mark R. Walter, Professor of Microbiology, received his Ph.D. from UAB in Biochemistry in 1989 with Dr. Steve Ealick. Following his Ph.D., Dr. Walter completed postdoctoral studies with Dr. Charles Bugg a pioneer in the area of structure-based drug design, where he initiated research in cytokine structure and function. He was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award in 1996 for his structural analysis of IL-10 and interferon gamma. Dr. Walter is currently Chairman of the Purdue Cancer Center Advisory Board and consults with Companies interested cytokine therapeutics. His outside interests include backpacking, cycling, water and snow skiing.

Research/Clinical Interest Title Structure, Biochemistry, and Function of Cytokines involved in Viral pathogenesis and Autoimmunity Description A major focus of the lab is elucidating crystal structures of cytokines bound to their cell surface receptors. These studies provide the framework for detailed biochemical and cellular characterization of how cytokines assemble a “signaling competent” complex leading to cellular activation. The goal of these studies is to extend our understanding of basic signaling mechanisms. These findings are then applied to complex problems in human disease. We are currently using what we have learned to understand interferon signaling in lupus, and designing novel vaccine strategies to prevent human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, which is responsible for serious birth defects in children whose mothers are infected while pregnant.

Selected Publications  Publication PUBMEDID Logsdon, N. J., Deshpande, A., Harris, B. D., Rajashankar, K. R., and Walter, M. R. (2012) Structural basis for receptor sharing and activation by interleukin-20 receptor-2 (IL-20R2) binding cytokines. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109, 12704-12709   22802649  Eberhardt, M. K., Chang, W. L., Logsdon, N. J., Yue, Y., Walter, M. R., and Barry, P. A. (2012) Host immune responses to a viral immune modulating protein: immunogenicity of viral interleukin-10 in rhesus cytomegalovirus-infected rhesus macaques. PLoS One 7, e37931   22655082  Logsdon, N. J., Allen, C. E., Rajashankar, K. R., and Walter, M. R. (2012) Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the IL-20-IL-20R1-IL-20R2 complex. Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun 68, 89-92   22232181  Logsdon, N. J., Eberhardt, M. K., Allen, C. E., Barry, P. A., and Walter, M. R. (2011) Design and analysis of rhesus cytomegalovirus IL-10 mutants as a model for novel vaccines against human cytomegalovirus. PLoS One 6, e28127   22132227  Donnelly, R. P., Sheikh, F., Dickensheets, H., Savan, R., Young, H. A., and Walter, M. R. (2010) Interleukin-26: an IL-10-related cytokine produced by Th17 cells. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 21, 393-401  20947410  Yoon, S. I., Jones, B. C., Logsdon, N. J., Harris, B. D., Kuruganti, S., and Walter, M. R. (2012) Epstein-Barr virus IL-10 engages IL-10R1 by a two-step mechanism leading to altered signaling properties. J Biol Chem 287, 26586-26595   2269221

Keywords structural biology, immunology, virology, cytokine, signaling, vaccine, protein design, lupus, interferon, IL-10

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