INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF G3BP1 IN HUMAN PARVOVIRUS B19 VIA NS1 INTERACTIONS

Human parvovirus, B19 causes a disease that is most common in children and for a long time it was referred to as Fifth disease, due to it being a common childhood illness that can be seen from the rash on the cheeks of the infected. Usually in children the infection is harmless, but it can be more serious in adults. This virus is ubiquitous, it integrates into the host genome and the effects on human health are not known. But some people who were previously infected have prolonged symptoms such as chronic joint pain. In order to understand the effects of human parvovirus B19 (B19V) we begin taking a closer look at how the B19V protein NS1 effects processes in human cells. A yeast 2-hybrid assay conducted in the Horton lab identified the human protein G3BP1 was interacting with the C-terminal domain of NS1. G3BP1(RAS-GTPase-activating protein-binding protein 1) is the main protein involved when cells react to environmental stress. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the potential interaction of G3BP1 with NS1 using proteins prepared recombinantly in E. coli. With the research that is done it can contribute to the unknown knowledge about the long-term effect of human parvovirus and will better equip medical professionals when treating patients with the infection.