Montana State University

Michael White, Professor

Immunology & Infectious Diseases
P.O. Box 173610
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717
(406) 994-6381
uvsmw@montana.edu

           Michael White

Research Interests

Research in the White laboratory focuses on the Apicomplexan protozoans which are responsible for a significant burden of infectious disease in the world. Malarial parasites are the most infamous members of this phylum as they are responsible for enormous human suffering and mortality---killing annually more than a million children in Africa alone. Five hundred million individuals are estimated by WHO to suffer from malaria world-wide. The coccidian members of the Apicomplexa such as Toxoplasma and Cryptosporidium cause opportunistic infections in humans particularly immunocompromised individuals such as those infected with the HIV virus. The lay-person may know Toxoplasma from cautions given pregnant women to avoid contact with the cat box because infections with this parasite can cause birth defects or miscarriages. Other coccidians including the Eimeria, Neospora, and Isopora, are important in veterinary medicine, causing serious systemic, enteric, and respiratory disease in livestock.

White Laboratory Home Page

Education

  • Ph.D. Microbiology, Oregon State University, 1983
  • B.A. Microbiology, San Jose State University, 1978

Professional Experience

  • Affiliate Professor, Depart. of Biochemistry, University of Washington 2003-present
  • Professor, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Montana State University 2001-present
  • Visiting Professor, Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 2004
  • Visiting Professor, Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Jan.-Sept. 1996
  • Associate Professor, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Montana State University, July 1994-September 2001
  • Assistant Professor, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Montana State University, 1988-1994
  • Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Jan.-Nov. 1988
  • Senior Fellow, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, 1984-1987
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, 1979-1983
  • Chemist I, Syva CO., Palo Alto, CA, 1978-1979

Honors and Awards

  • Montana State University Nominee for the 1990 National Dryfuss Award for Young Faculty in Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • National Research Service Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
  • American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
  • Recipient, N. L. Tarter Graduate Fellowship Award
  • Graduated with Distinction San Jose State University

Extramural Grant Activity

  • Title of Project: Center for Immunotherapies to Zoonotic Diseases Funding Agency: NIH-COBRE NCRR P20 RR-020185 Funding Period: 2004-2009 M.W. White?Director of Genomics Core, 2004-2005 core budget $384,086 Total Project Funding: $10.1 million PI?A .G. Harmsen
  • Title of Project: Montana Network of Biomedical Research Resources Funding Agency: NIH-INBRE-BRIN P20 RR16455-04 Funding Period: 2004-2009 Annual direct costs 2004: $20,000 Co-PI?M. W. White; PI?T. Ford
  • Title of Project: Growth regulation in Toxoplasma gondii Funding Agency: NIH RO1 AI44600. Funding Period: 1998-2008 Annual direct costs 2004: $175,000. PI?M. W. White
  • Title of Project: 5?/3? SAGE analysis of gene expression in Toxoplasma. Funding Agency: NIH R21 AI53815 Funding Period: 11/01/02-10/31/04 Annual Direct Costs 2004: $150,000 Total funding: $424,500 PI?M. W. White
  • Title of Project: Control of DNA replication in the AIDS Pathogen, T. gondii Funding Agency: NIH RO1 AI48390 Funding Period: 2001-2006 Annual direct costs 2004: $200,000 Total funding: $1,400,000 PI?M. W. White
  • Title of Project: Gene discovery in Toxoplasma gondii. Funding Agency: R01 AI45806 Funding Period: 1999-2004 Annual direct costs: $378,300. PI?D. Sibley (Washington University at St. Louis) Annual subcontract to the White lab: $77,000

Selected Publications

  1. Behnke, M., Radke, J. B., and White, M. W. 2005. Dissection of the transcriptional mechanism controling bradyzoite gene expression in Toxoplasma gondii. (manuscript in preparation)
  2. Behnke, M., Radke , J. R., Mackey, A., Roos, D. S., White, M. , Radke, J. B., and White, M. W. 2005. Global gene expression in Toxoplasma gondii. TgSAGEDB web site published 2004 http://vmbmod10.msu.montana.edu/vmb/white-lab/newsage.htm Manuscript in preparation for Genome Science.
  3. Radke, J. R., Behnke, M., Radke, J. B., Jerome, M. E., Roos, D. S., and White, M. W. 2005. Construction of a developmental transcriptome for the Toxoplasma intermediate life cycle (manuscript in preparation for Genome Research).
  4. Radke, J. R., Donald, R., Jerome, M. E., Del Pinal, A., Liberator, P. and White, M. W. 2005. Changes in host cell gene expression are required for bradyzoite development in Toxoplasma gondii. Submitted to Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
  5. Guerini, M., Behnke, M., and White, M. W. 2005. Biochemical and genetic analysis of the distinct proliferating cell nuclear antigens of Toxoplasma gondii. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. (in press).
  6. White, M. W., Jerome, M. E., Vaishnava, S., Guerini, M. N., Behnke, M., and Striepen, B., 2004 OnLine/2005 Print. Genetic rescue of a Toxoplasma gondii conditional growth mutant. Mol. Microbiol. 55(4):1060-71.
  7. Radke, J. R., Gubbels, M.J., Jerome, M. E., Radke, J. B., Striepen, B., and White, M.W. 2004. Identification of a sporozoite-specific member of the Toxoplasma SAG superfamily via genetic complementation. Mol. Microbiol. 52(1):93-105.
  8. Radke, J. R., Guerini, M. N., Jerome, M. E., and White, M. W. 2003. A change in the premitotic period of the cell cycle is associated with bradyzoite differentiation in Toxoplasma gondii. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 131:119-127.
  9. Li., L., Brunk, B. P., Kissinger, J., Pape, D., Martin, J., Wylie, T., Dante, M., Tang, K., Cole, R., Fogarty, S. J., Howe, D. K., Liberator, P., Diaz, C., White, M. W., Jerome, M. E., Johnson, E., Radke, J. A., Waterson, R., Clifton, S., Roos, D. S., and Sibley, L. D. 2003. Gene discovery in the Apicomplexa as revealed by EST sequencing and assembly of a comparative database. Genome Sci. 13:443-454.
  10. Miessner, N., Radke, J., Hedges, J. F. White, M. W., Behnke, M., Bertolino, S., Abrahamsen, M., and Jutila, M. 2003. Comparative gene expression analysis in circulating gd T cell subsets defines distinct immunoregulatory phenotypes and reveals their relationship to myeloid cells. J. Immunol. 170, 356-64.
  11. Mitzel, D. N., Weisend, C. M., White, M. W., and Hardy, M. E. 2003. Posttranscriptional regulation of rotavirus gene expression. J. Virology 84,383-91.
  12. *Striepen, B., *White, M. W., Li, C., Guerini, M. N., and, Liu, C. Abrahamsen, M. S. 2002. Genetic complementation in Apicomplexan Parasites. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99, 6304-6309. *These authors contributed equally to the work.
  13. Kvaal, C. A., Radke, J. R., Guerini, M. N., and White, M. W. 2002. Isolation of a Toxoplasma gondii cyclin using the yeast two-hybrid system. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 120. 187-194.
  14. Wei, S., Marches, F., Borvak, J., Zou, W., Channon, J., White, M. W., Radke, J., Cesbron-Delauw, M., and Curiel, T. 2002. Toxoplasma gondii infected human myeloid dendritic cells inhibit T lymphocyte activation by inducing contact-dependent apoptosis. Infect. & Immun.. 70, 1750-60.
  15. Radke, J. R.,., Guerini, M., ., Striepen, B, Jerome, M. J., Roos, D. S., and White, M. W. 2001 Defining the cell cycle for the tachyzoite stage of Toxoplasma gondii. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 115, 165-175.
  16. Guerini, M., Que, X, Reed, S. L., White, M. W. 2000 Two genes encoding unique proliferating-cell-nuclear antigens are expressed in Toxoplasma gondii. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 109, 121-131.
  17. Radke, J. R., Guerini, M., and White, M. W. 2000. Toxoplasma gondii: Characterization of temperature-sensitive tachyzoite cell cycle mutants. Exp. Parasitol. 96, 168-177.
  18. Radke, J. R., and White, M. W. 1999 The expression of herpes simplex thymidine kinase in Toxoplasma gondii attenuates tachyzoite virulence in mice. Infect. and Immun. 67, 5292-5297.
  19. Radke, J.R. and White, M.W. 1998. A cell cycle model for the tachyzoite of Toxoplasma gondii using the Herpes Simplex virus thymidine kinase. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 94, 237-247.
  20. Jerome, M.E., Radke, J.R., Bohne, W., Roos, D.S., and White, M.W. 1998. Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoites spontaneously form during sporozoite-initiated development. Infect. and Immun. 66, 4033-4039.
  21. Bohne, W., Hunter, C.A., White, M.W., Ferguson, D.P., Gross, U., and Roos, D.S. 1998. Targeted disruption of the bradyzoite-specific gene BAGI does not prevent tissue cyst formation in Toxoplasma gondii. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 92, 291-301.
  22. White, M.W. and Radke, J.R. 1997. Methods to prepare RNA and to isolate developmentally regulate genes from Eimeria. Methods: A Companion to Methods in Enzymology. 13, 158-170.
  23. Tilley, M., Fichera, M., Jerome, M.E., Roos, D.S., and White, M.W. 1997. Toxoplasma gondii sporozoites form a transient vacuole that is impermeable and contains only a subset of dense granule proteins. Infect. and Immun. 65, 4598-4605.