Head of the HIV-1 RNA Trafficking Laboratory, Lady Davis Institute
Professor, Department
of Medicine; Division of Infectious Disease, McGill University
Associate Member of the
Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Dr. Andrew J. Mouland is head of the HIV-1 RNA Trafficking Laboratory and member of the McGill University AIDS Centre at the Lady Davis Institute (LDI), Associate Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University, and Adjunct Professor at the Université de Montréal. He is an internationally recognized scientist in the field of HIV-1 RNA and cell biology. Dr. Mouland has obtained career awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) as a New Investigator (2003-2008) and from the FRSQ as Chercheur-boursier senior (2008-2010). He is a member of several McGill University academic and executive committees, has chaired several committees at the LDI, and has served on advisory and grant review committees for the CIHR. He is Associate Editor at Retrovirology, reviews grant requests for CIHR, NSERC, CANFAR, AmFAR, SARS-CoV streams, and reviews articles for journals such as the Nature Communications, Cell Reports, Nucleic Acids Research, Retrovirology, and has served as an advisor to Canadian publishing houses. He has chaired and organized the 2013 International conference on HIV-1 Nucleocapsid, 1st International conference on stress granules in human and viral disease (2014) and an American Society for Cell Biology summer conference on The Cell Biology of HIV-1 and Other Retroviruses (2006).
Major Research Activities
Dr. Mouland runs a medium-sized lab with young
and highly talented trainees and staff The Mouland lab focuses on the molecular and cellular biology of
RNA viruses, in particular the human immunodeficiency virus - type 1 (HIV-1),
the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is now
established that HIV-1, like all viruses, commandeers major host machineries
and coopts several host proteins for replication. One of our main research
focuses is the further identification of host machineries and proteins involved
in the fate and metabolism of viral RNAs. Specifically, we have identified
several key cellular proteins that are involved in the fate of HIV-1 RNA in the
cell. These proteins mark HIV-1 RNAs following their synthesis and are involved
in the trafficking of HIV-1 RNAs from the nucleus into the cytosol, then to
sites of viral assembly and finally, into the virus. We are also interested in
characterizing protein-protein and protein-RNA complexes generated by
liquid-liquid phase separation in infected cells. Using biochemical, genetic in
vitro and in vivo techniques combined with high resolution microscopy, we
elucidate the mechanisms by which viral RNAs are synthesized, trafficked,
metabolized and used in major host cell machineries. These studies will lead to
a better understanding of fundamental host cell processes (e.g., mRNA
trafficking, translation, metabolism, vesicular trafficking) as well as to a
more profound understanding on how RNA viruses replicate efficiently in host
cells. A long-term goal is to identify and develop candidate therapeutics
targeting these processes.
Projects
- RNA virus molecular and cellular biology;
- RNA virus evasion of host cell anti-viral responses;
- RNA-binding proteins and virus host interactions; and
- Virus-mediated RNA-protein condensation via liquid-liquid phase separation.
Recent Publications
Book Chapter: Miroslav P. Milev, Xiaojian Yao, Lionel Berthoux & Andrew J. Mouland. 2018. Dynein and Viral Pathogenesis, in: S.M.
King (Ed.), Dyneins. Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier, London, Waltham,
San Diego, p. 244.Volume II.
Anne
Monette, Meijuan Niu, Lois Chen,
Shringar Rao, Robert Gorelick and Andrew J. Mouland. 2019. Pan-retroviral nucleocapsid-mediated phase separation regulates genomic RNA positioning and trafficking. Cell
Reports Apr 21;31(3):107520. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.03.084.
Hade Ramos, Anne Monette, Meijuan Niu, Aldo Barrera, Brenda López,
Yazmin Fuentes, Norma Paola Guizar,
Karla Pino, Luc
DesGroseillers, Andrew J. Mouland, Marcelo López-Lastra. 2022. The double-stranded
RNA-binding protein, Staufen1, is an IRES- transacting
factor regulating HIV-1 cap-independent translation initiation. Nucleic Acids
Research, 50(1):411-429. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkab1188.
Anne
Monette, Meijuan Niu, Maya Nijhoff Asser,
Robert J. Gorelick, Andrew J. Mouland.
2022. Scaffolding
viral protein NC nucleates phase separation of the HIV-1 biomolecular
condensate. Cell Reports, 40: 111251. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111251.