Nicole McAllister, PhD

  • Assistant Professor of Biology, Seton Hill University

Why did you choose the University of Pittsburgh?

I transferred to the University of Pittsburgh with my mentor at the beginning of my second year in graduate school. The resources available through departments and cores promote high quality research, and the many opportunities for collaboration allow my research to push forward in exciting new ways.

Doctoral Dissertation

Chikungunya virus binds sulfated glycosaminoglycans as attachment factors using specific residues in the E2 glycoprotein

Education & Training

  • PhD in Microbiology & Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2021
  • BS in Biology, Gannon University, 2015

Research Interests

Alphaviruses; arboviruses; pathogen-host interactions; glycan-protein interactions; viral pathogenesis

Publications

Brown J, Short S, Stencel-Baerenwald J, Urbanek K, Pruijssers A, McAllister N, Taylor G, Aravamudhan P, Khomandiak S, Jabri B, Williams C and Dermody TS. 2018. Reovirus-induced apoptosis in the intestine limits establishment of enteric infection. J Virol. 92: pii: e02062-17.

Bouziat R, Hinterleitner R, Brown JJ, Stencel-Baerenwald JE, Ikizler M, Mayassi T, Meisel M, Kim SM, Discepolo V, Pruijssers AJ, Ernest JD, Iskarpatyoti JA, Costes LM, Lawrence I, Palanski BA, Varma M, Zurenski MA, Khomandiak S, McAllister N, Aravamudhan P, Boehme KW, Hu F, Samsom JN, Reinecker HC, Kupfer SS, Guandalini S, Semrad CE, Abadie V, Khosla C, Barreiro LB, Xavier RJ, Ng A, Dermody TS and Jabri B. 2017. Reovirus infection breaks tolerance to dietary antigens and promotes development of celiac disease. Science. 356: 44-50.

Baldridge MT, Lee S, Brown JJ, McAllister N, Urbanek K, Dermody TS, Nice TJ and Virgin HW. 2017. Expression of Ifnlr1 on Intestinal Epithelial Cells Is Critical to the Antiviral Effects of Interferon Lambda against Norovirus and Reovirus. J Virol. 91: pii: e02079-16.