Name: Dr. John Morgan
Position: Senior Lecturer
T: 353 (0)21 4902004
F: 353 (0)21 4903101
E: j.morgan@ucc.ie
Biography
Academic Career
1975-1979: University College Galway B.Sc. (Hons)
1979-1983: University College Galway Ph.D
1983-1985: Post Doctoral Fellow, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
1985-1987: Post Doctoral Fellow, Dept. of Pathology, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California, USA
1987-1992: Research Scientist, Genelabs Inc., Redwood City, California
1992-2001: College Lecturer in Microbiology, University College Cork
2001-present: Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, University College Cork
Teaching areas
- Virology
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
Research interests and expertise
There are three main research themes within the laboratory, all are interrelated.
1. Gastrointestinal viruses and disease:
Norovirus
- Analysis of epithelial cell and dendritic cell response to Norovirus RNA and capsid proteins (VLP’s)
- Reverse genetics approaches (using in vitro transcribed norovirus RNA) to study Norovirus replication in epithelial cell lines.
- The host epithelial cell responses such as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs; TLR’s, etc.) signal transduction pathway signaling and cytokine/interferon production
- Murine Norovirus model; norovirus recognition by gut Peyer’s patches
Rotavirus and Poliovirus
Host epithelial cell responses such as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs; TLR’s, etc.) recognition, signaling pathways and cytokine/interferon production. In collaboration with Dr. Martina Scallan.
2. Mucosal immunity:
Peyer’s patches as antigen sampling sites in the gut. Our research includes:
- Mechanisms of pathogen sampling by Peyer’s patch FAE and M cells
- Modulation and targeting antigens to the FAE/M cells
- Peyer’s patch antigen-presenting cells (APC’s) – Dendritic cell and macrophage population analysis
- Probiotic bacteria and their products as mucosal immune modulators
3. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection and the Cystic Fibrosis lung:
- Opportunistic respiratory infections are a hallmark of the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Two of the major pathogens involved are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Our research (in collaboration with Professor Fergal O’Gara’s laboratory) includes;
- The interaction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains (both wild type and mutants) with bronchial and tracheal epithelial cells.
- Characterization of the host epithelial cell immune responses such as pathogen recognition (by PAMPs; TLR’s, NOD’s etc.), signal transduction, including MyD88, NFkB, MAPK signaling pathways and cytokine production pathways.
- An investigation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa CpG DNA motifs as immune activators.
Research
Selected Recent Publications
Kearney, K., Menton, J. and Morgan, J.G. (2007) Carlow virus, a 2002 GII.4 variant Norovirus strain from Ireland. Virology J. 4:61-69.
Menton, J.F., Kearney, K. and Morgan, J.G. (2007) Development of a real-time RT-PCR and Reverse Line probe Hybridisation assay for the routine detection and genotyping of Noroviruses in Ireland. Virology J. 4:86-93.
Cashman, S. B. and Morgan, J.G. (2009) Transcriptional analysis of Toll-like Receptors expression in M cells. Molecular Immunology (in Press).
Research funding and grants
I have secured research funding of €2.3 million over the period, 1992-2009, mainly from such funding agencies as HRB, FIRM and SFI CSET.
Research Projects in the group
- Gastrointestinal viruses and disease; Norovieus, rotavirus and poliovirus.
- The Mucosal immunity of intestinal Peyer’s patches.
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa and lung infection and Cystic Fibrosis.