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Faculty Detail    
Name MARK WALTER
  
Campus Address BBRB 509E Zip 2170
Phone  (205) 934-9279
E-mail  walter@uab.edu
Other websites My Publications
Lab
     


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Primary  Microbiology  Microbiology Professor
Secondary  Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics  Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics Professor
Secondary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Professor
Center  Cell Adhesion & Matrix Research Center  Cell Adhesion & Matrix Research Center Professor
Center  Center for AIDS Research  Center for AIDS Research Professor
Center  Center for Biophysical Sciences/Engineering  Center for Biophysical Sciences/Engineering Professor
Center  Comp Arthritis, MSK, Bone & Autoimmunity Ctr  Comp Arthritis, MSK, Bone & Autoimmunity Ctr Professor
Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center Professor
Center  UAB Immunology Institute  UAB Immunology Institute 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
Kuruganti S, Miersch S, Deshpande A, Speir JA, Harris BD, Schriewer JM, Buller RM, Sidhu SS, Walter MR. Cytokine Activation by Antibody Fragments Targeted to Cytokine-Receptor Signaling Complexes.JBC 2015 Nov 6. pii: jbc.M115.665943  26546677 
Murugan D, Albert MH, Langemeier J, Bohne J, Puchalka J, Järvinen PM, Hauck F, Klenk AK, Prell C, Schatz S, Diestelhorst J, Sciskala B, Kohistani N, Belohradsky BH, Müller S, Kirchner T, Walter MR, Bufler P, Muise AM, Snapper SB, Koletzko S, Klein C, Kotlarz DVery early onset inflammatory bowel disease associated with aberrant trafficking of IL-10R1 and cure by T cell replete haploidentical bone marrow transplantation. (2014) J. Clin. Immunol. 34, pp. 331-339.  24519095 
Eberhardt MK, Deshpande A, Chang WL, Barthold SW, Walter MR, Barry PA(2013) Vaccination against a virus-encoded cytokine significantly restricts viral challenge. J. Virol. 87, 11323-11331.  23946461 
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 
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 
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 
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 
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 
 

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