Valeria Lulla’s group will relocate to the Dunn School in Summer 2027.
Many common enteric viruses can also infect cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Such neurotropic viruses infect >50 million people annually, causing encephalitis, meningitis, and other complications. Picornaviruses and astroviruses stand out for their ability to infect cells of both gut and neuronal origins. Our research seeks to understand the molecular basis of how enteric viruses can display both neurovirulence and gut-specific replication.
Our research focuses on the replication and pathogenicity of intestinal RNA viruses. Many common enteric viruses can also infect cells of the central nervous system, causing encephalitis, meningitis, and other complications. Picornaviruses and astroviruses can infect both intestinal and neuronal cells. We use human intestinal and brain organoids as a platform to address organ-specific determinants of enteric virus infection. We develop a range of molecular tools to address fundamental questions in enterovirus and astrovirus biology:
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Spatial separation of RNA replication and packaging during astrovirus infection. PMID: 32792502, 37459343, 39008516, 39365457, 40028029, 42087922, 42286165
ORF-specific translation in enteroviruses. Enteroviruses encode additional open reading frames (ORFs) that determine the fate of viral infection under stress and during cell- or tissue-specific replication. PMID: 30478287, 39365457, 41662385
Our research builds a transformative platform applicable to other viruses and hosts, where diverse tropisms shape the diseases they cause. Our findings are enhancing understanding of the tissue-specific properties of clinically important pathogens, advancing the development of therapeutics and vaccines, and informing public health measures.
In our studies, we use a variety of approaches. We integrate molecular virology (reverse genetics, replicon systems, reporters), biochemistry (RNA/protein assays, mass spectrometry), imaging (live-cell and confocal imaging), ribosome profiling, NGS RNA sequencing, AlphaFold3, RNA SHAPE, host-pathogen manipulations (CRISPR, siRNA, virus evolution and adaptation) and iPSC/organoid technologies to help us understand the underlying viral replication mechanisms and host-pathogen crosstalk.
Our lab is funded by a Wellcome Trust Career Development Award until 2034.
2026
Viral protease-mediated polyprotein processing in human astroviruses.
Noyvert, D., Neves, L.X., Fominykh, K., Hankinson, J., Lindsey, G., Lulla, A., Emmott, E., Lulla, V.
N P J Viruses – Jun 12. doi: 10.1038/s44298-026-00203-7
2026
The dynamics and strategy of RNA replication in astroviruses.
Noyvert, D., Darr, I.M., Fominykh, K., Hankinson, J., Lukhovitskaya, N., Firth, A.E., Lulla, V.
NAR Molecular Medicine – Apr 20;3(2):ugag021
2026
Flexibility and modulation of translation initiation in enterovirus genomes
O’Connor, R, L., Cook, G, M., Hankinson, J., Fominykh, K., Cheng, S, H., Nash, D, A., Cenier, A., Nayak, K, M., Graham, S, C., Deane, J, E., Zilbauer, M., Firth, A, E., Lulla, V.
PLoS Pathogens – 2026 Feb 9;22(2):e1013967
2024
Understanding neurotropic enteric viruses: routes of infection and mechanisms of attenuation
Lulla, V., Sridhar, A.
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences – Oct 4;81(1):413.
2024
The astrovirus N-terminal nonstructural protein anchors replication complexes to the perinuclear ER membranes
Ali, H., Noyvert, D., Hankinson, J., Lindsey, G., Lulla, A., Lulla, V.
PLoS Pathogens – Jul 15;20(7):e1011959.
2023
Attenuation hotspots in neurotropic human astroviruses.
Ali, H., Lulla, A., Nicholson, A. S., Hankinson, J., Wignall-Fleming, E. B., O’Connor, R. L., Vu, D-L., Graham, S. C., Deane, J. E., Guix, S., Lulla, V.
PLOS Biology – Jul 17;21(7):e3001815.
2020
A hidden gene in astroviruses encodes a viroporin.
Lulla, V., Firth, A. E.
Nature Communications – 2020 Aug 13;11:4070.
2019
An upstream protein-coding region in enteroviruses modulates virus infection in gut epithelial cells.
Lulla, V., Dinan, A.M., Hosmillo, M., Chaudhry, Y., Sherry, L., Irigoyen, N., Nayak, K.M., Stonehouse, N.J., Zilbauer, M., Goodfellow, I., Firth A.E.
Nature Microbiology – 4(2):280-292