Faculty

DAVID M OJCIUS, PhD DAVID M OJCIUS, PhD
Professor
School of Natural Sciences

Email: dojcius@ucmerced.edu
Phone: (209)228-2948
Fax:
www:

Education:

Ph.D., 1986 - University of California, Berkeley, CA
B.A., 1979 - University of California, Berkeley, CA

Research Interests (View)

Our group uses molecular and cell biological techniques to characterize interactions between epithelial cells and intracellular pathogens. As a model system, we study the bacteria Chlamydia, whose species represent the world´s leading cause of preventable blindness and are a common cause of respiratory and sexually-transmitted infections in humans. Current projects are focused on how the bacteria modify signal-transduction pathways that affect programmed cell death (apoptosis) and metabolism of the host cell. Whenever possible, the physiological relevance of results obtained with cell lines are tested in a mouse model of infection. In the short run, we are investigating whether host-cell death plays a role in propagation of the infection, how molecules released from dying infected-cells are recognized by the host immune system, and the effect of infection on metabolism of the host cell.
Representative Publications (View)

  1. Ojcius, D.M., Degani, H., Mispelter, J. & Dautry-Varsat, A. Enhancement of ATP levels and glucose metabolism during an infection by Chlamydia: NMR studies of living cells. J. Biol. Chem. (1998) 273:7052-7058.
  2. Grillot-Courvalin, C., Goussard, S., Huetz, F., Ojcius, D.M. & Courvalin, P. Functional delivery of genes from internalized bacteria to mammalian host cells. Nature Biotech. (1998) 16:862-866.
  3. Coutinho-Silva, R., Persechini, P.M., Bisaggio, R.C., Perfettini, J.L., Sa Neto, A.C.T., Kanellopoulos, J.M., Motta, I., Dautry-Varsat, A. & Ojcius, D.M. P2Z-P2X7 receptor-mediated apoptosis of dendritic cells. Am. J. Physiol. (1999) 276:C1139-C1147.
  4. Bavoil, P.M., Hsia, R-c & Ojcius, D.M. Closing in on Chlamydia and its intracellular bag of tricks. Microbiology (2000) 146:2723-2731.
  5. Coutinho-Silva, R., Perfettini, J.L., Persechini, P.M., Dautry-Varsat, A. & Ojcius, D.M. Modulation of P2Z/P2X7 receptor activity in macrophages infected with Chlamydia psittaci. Am. J. Physiol. (2001) 280:C81-C89.
  6. Perfettini, J.L., Reed, J.C., Israel, N., Martinou, J.C., Dautry-Varsat, A. & Ojcius, D.M. Role of BCL-2 family members in caspase-independent apoptosis due to Chlamydia infection. Infect. Immun. (2002) 70:55-61.
  7. Jungas, T., Motta, I., Duffieux, F., Fanen, P., Stoven, V. & Ojcius, D.M. Glutathione levels and BAX activation during apoptosis due to oxidative stress in cells expressing wild-type and mutant cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. J. Biol. Chem. (2002) 277:27912-27918.
  8. Ojcius, D.M., Delarbre, C., Kourilsky, P. & Gachelin, G. MHC and MHC-related proteins as pleiotropic signal molecules. FASEB J. (2002) 16 :202-206.
  9. Perfettini, J.L., Gissot, M., Souque, P. & Ojcius, D.M. Modulation of apoptosis during infection by Chlamydia. Methods Enzymol. (2002) 358:334-344.
  10. Boya, P., Andreau, K., Poncet, D., Zamzami, N., Perfettini, J.L., Metivier, D., Ojcius, D.M., Jaattela, M. & Kroemer, G. Lysosomal membrane permeabilization induces cell death in a mitochondrion-dependent fashion. J. Exp. Med. (2003) 197:1323-1334.
  11. Perfettini, J.L., Ojcius, D.M., Andrews, C.W., Korsmeyer, S., Rank, R.G. & Darville, T. Role of proapoptotic BAX in propagation of Chlamydia muridarum (the mouse pneumonitis strain of Chlamydia trachomatis) and the host inflammatory response. J. Biol. Chem. (2003) 278:9496-9502.
  12. Lupu, M., Ojcius, D.M., Perfettini, J.L., Patry, J., Dimicoli, J.L. & Mispelter, J. Changes of sodium ion compartmentalization in biological systems due to pathological states. An NMR study. Biochimie (2003) 85:849-861.
  13. Coutinho-Silva, R., Stahl, L., Raymond, M.N., Jungas, T., Burnstock, G., Darville, T. & Ojcius, D.M. Inhibition of chlamydial infectious activity due to P2X7 receptor-dependent phospholipase D activation. Immunity (2003) 19:403-412.
  14. Darville, T., O'Neill, J.M., Andrews, C.W., Nagarajan, U.M., Stahl, L. & Ojcius, D.M. Toll-like receptor-2, but not Toll-like receptor-4, is essential for development of oviduct pathology in chlamydial genital tract infection. J. Immunol. (2003) 171:6187-6197.
  15. Caucheteux, S.M., Kanellopoulos-Langevin, C. & Ojcius, D.M. At the innate frontiers between mother and fetus: linking abortion with complement activation. Immunity (2003) 18:169-172.
  16. Perfettini, J.L., Hospital, V., Stahl, L., Jungas, T., Verbeke, P. & Ojcius, D.M. Cell death and inflammation during infection with the obligate intracellular pathogen, Chlamydia. Biochimie (2003) 85:763-769.
  17. Mascarell, L., Auger, R., Alcover, A., Ojcius, D.M., Jungas, T., Cadet-Daniel, V., Kanellopoulos, J. & Truffa-Bacchi, P. Characterization of a gene encoding two isoforms of a mitochondrial protein upregulated by cyclosporin A in activated T cells. J. Biol. Chem. (2004) 279:10556-10563.
  18. Belland, B., Ojcius, D.M. & Byrne, G.I. Chlamydia. Nature Reviews Microbiol. (2004) 2:530-531.
  19. Yilmaz, O., Jungas, T., Verbeke, P. & Ojcius, D.M. Activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/Akt pathway contributes to survival of primary epithelial cells infected with the periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis. Infect. Immun. (2004) 72:3743-3751.
  20. Byrne, G.I. & Ojcius, D.M. Chlamydia and apoptosis: life and death decisions of an intracellular pathogen. Nature Reviews Microbiol. (2004) 2:802-808.