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K. Yeon Choi, PhD

K. Yeon Choi
K. Yeon Choi, PhD

Research Associate Professor

Contact

Microbial Pathogenesis & Immunology
8447 Riverside Pkwy
Medical Research & Education Building II (MREB II), Room 3346
Bryan, TX 77807-3260
yeonchoi@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.436.9427
Fax: 979.436.9038

Education and Training

  • Texas A&M University, BS, 1990
  • University of California, Davis, PhD, 1997

Research Interests

  • Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a Betaherpesvirus found in significant proportion of the population and the infection is asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals. However, HCMV infection can lead to detrimental consequences in immune suppressed organ transplant recipients, AIDS patients, and the developing fetus in utero when a woman becomes infected during pregnancy. My research includes studying the cellular immune response of target leukocytes to cytomegalovirus infection in the fetal-placental unit and also the mechanism of CMV deafness of the developing fetus in utero. I also have a long term interest in the relationship of cancer to viral infections and will investigate the potential link of CMV and other herpesviruses to specific types of cancer. My work also includes collaborations with Dr. Alistair McGregor (Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology) in the area of novel vaccine intervention strategies and cell specific tropism.

Representative Publications

Representative Publications

  • Choi KY, Root M, McGregor A. A Novel Non-Replication Competent Cytomegalovirus Capsid Mutant Vaccine Strategy Is Effective in Reducing Congenital Infection. J Virol. 2016.
  • Coleman S, Choi KY, Root M, McGregor A. A Homolog Pentameric Complex Dictates Viral Epithelial Tropism, Pathogenicity and Congenital Infection Rate in Guinea Pig Cytomegalovirus. PLoS Pathog. 2016;12(7):e1005755.
  • Coleman S, Hornig J, Maddux S, Choi KY, McGregor A. Viral Glycoprotein Complex Formation, Essential Function and Immunogenicity in the Guinea Pig Model for Cytomegalovirus. PLoS One. 2015;10(8)
  • McGregor A, Choi KY, Schachtele SJ, Lokensgard JR. Human Herpesviruses and Animal Models. In: Conn PM, editor. Animal Models for the Study of Human Diseases. San Diego, CA: Elsevier Inc; 2013. p. 905-25.
  • Choi KY, Sharon B, Balfour HH, Jr., Belani K, Pozos TC, Schleiss MR. Emergence of antiviral resistance during oral valganciclovir treatment of an infant with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. J Clin Virol. 2013.
  • Schleiss MR, Buus R, Choi KY, McGregor A. An Attenuated CMV Vaccine with a Deletion in Tegument Protein GP83 (pp65 Homolog) Protects against Placental Infection and Improves Pregnancy Outcome in a Guinea Pig Challenge Model. Future virology. 2013;8(12):1151-60.
  • Schleiss MR, Choi KY, Anderson J, Mash JG, Wettendorff M, Mossman S, et al. Glycoprotein B (gB) vaccines adjuvanted with AS01 or AS02 protect female guinea pigs against cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia and offspring mortality in a CMV-challenge model. Vaccine. 2013
  • Leviton MP, Lacayo JC, Choi KY, Hernandez-Alvarado N, Wey A, Schleiss MR. An Attenuated Cytomegalovirus Vaccine with a Deletion of a Viral Chemokine Gene Is Protective against Congenital CMV Transmission in a Guinea Pig Model. Clinical & developmental immunology. 2013;2013:906948.
  • McGregor A, Choi KY, Sung H. Antiviral and Vaccine Strategies Against Cytomegalovirus: Current Therapies and Future Directions. In: Lautenschlager I, editor. Cytomegalovirus Infections: Risk Factors, Causes and Management. Helsinki, Finland: Nova Publisher; 2012.
  • McGregor A, Choi KY. Cytomegalovirus antivirals and development of improved animal models. Expert opinion on drug metabolism & toxicology. 2011;7(10):1245-65.
  • McGregor A, Choi KY, Schleiss MR. Guinea pig cytomegalovirus GP84 is a functional homolog of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL84 gene that can complement for the loss of UL84 in a chimeric HCMV. Virology. 2011;410(1):76-87.
  • Olejniczak MJ, Choi KY, McVoy MA, Cui X, Schleiss MR. Intravaginal cytomegalovirus (CMV) challenge elicits maternal viremia and results in congenital transmission in a guinea pig model. Virology journal. 2011;8:89.
  • Choi KY, Schimmenti LA, Jurek AM, Sharon B, Daly K, Khan C, et al. Detection of cytomegalovirus DNA in dried blood spots of Minnesota infants who do not pass newborn hearing screening. The Pediatric infectious disease journal. 2009;28(12):1095-8.
  • Crumpler MM, Choi KY, McVoy MA, Schleiss MR. A live guinea pig cytomegalovirus vaccine deleted of three putative immune evasion genes is highly attenuated but remains immunogenic in a vaccine/challenge model of congenital cytomegalovirus infection. Vaccine. 2009;27(31):4209-18.
  • McGregor A, Choi KY, Cui X, McVoy MA, Schleiss MR. Expression of the human cytomegalovirus UL97 gene in a chimeric guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) results in viable virus with increased susceptibility to ganciclovir and maribavir. Antiviral Research. 2008;78(3):250-9.
  • Schleiss M, Eickhoff J, Auerochs S, Leis M, Abele S, Rechter S, Choi Y, et al. Protein kinase inhibitors of the quinazoline class exert anti-cytomegaloviral activity in vitro and in vivo. Antiviral Research. 2008;79(1):49-61.
  • Schleiss MR, McGregor A, Choi KY, Date SV, Cui X, McVoy MA. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) genome. Virology journal. 2008;5(1):139.
  • Schraff SA, Schleiss MR, Brown DK, Meinzen-Derr J, Choi KY, Greinwald JH, et al. Macrophage inflammatory proteins in cytomegalovirus-related inner ear injury. Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 2007;137(4):612-8.