Faculty

Giovanna Rappocciolo, PhD Research Assistant Professor E-mail: giovanna@pitt.edu Phone: 412-383-9590 Fax: 412-383-8926 Address: 604 Parran Hall 130 DeSoto Street Pittsburgh, PA 15261

Education

PhD; University of Milano, Italy, 1983
Postdoctoral Training; University of Pittsburgh, 1988 and The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, 1990

Research Interests

Cellular immunity to herpesviruses and immunodeficiency virus.

Research Summary

Dr. Rappocciolo is interested in the area of human herpesvirus research, in particular in the immunopathology of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8 or Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus, KSHV). Recent studies in the laboratory have identified DC-SIGN, a C-type lectin, as the main receptor used by HHV8 to infect dendritic cells and activated macrophages. Further studies are under way to define the mechanism of entry used by the virus to infect its target cells through this receptor. Furthermore, we have recently observed that HHV8 infects human peripheral blood activated B cells also through DC-SIGN and establishes a productive infection in these cells. Another area of research related to the immunopathology of HHV8 infection, is the characterization of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD8+T cells) responses to HHV8 in healthy individuals and in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus and the role played by dendritic cells  in the development of this immune response. This research includes the characterization of immunodominant regions involved in the control of HHV8 infection by CD8+ T cells and their role in the progression to Kaposi’s sarcoma in immunodeficient individuals.

Another important area of research in the laboratory is the study of the role of activated B cells in the transmission of HIV to bystander T cells. We have recently shown that activated B cells express DC-SIGN and this molecule is used to bind and internalized HIV, and although B cells do not become productively infected with HIV, they are able to deliver it to bystander T lymphocytes. Further studies are now underway to better define this indirect mechanism of infection of T cells.

Recent Publications

• Rappocciolo,G., Hensler, H.R., Jais, M Reinhart, T.A., Amarendra, P., Jenkins, F.J. and Rinaldo, C.R. HHV-8 infects and replicates  in primary cultures of activated B lymphocytes through DC-SIGN. J. Virol. 82: 4793, 2008.
• Rappocciolo,G., Piazza, P., Fuller, C., Reinhart, T.A. , Watkins, S., Rowe, D.T., Jais, M, Gupta,P. and Charles R. Rinaldo, Jr. DC-SIGN on B lymphocytes is required for transmission of HIV-1  to T lymphocytes.  PLoS Pathogens, 2: e70, 2006
• Rappocciolo, G, Jenkins, F,Hensler H, Jais, M, Piazza, P, Fuller CL, Reinhart TA, Borowski L, Watkins SC and Charles R Rinaldo, “DC-SIGN is a receptor for human herpesvirus 8.” J.Immunol. 176 (2006): 1741.
• Rappocciolo, G., Birch, J., and Ellis, S.E. (2003). Down-regulation of MHC class I expression by equine herpesvirus 1. J. Gen.Virol. 84:293.
• Wang, Q.J., Huang, X-L., Rappocciolo, G., Jenkins, F.J., Hildebrand, W. H., Fan, Z. and Rinaldo, C.R., Jr. (2002). Identification of an HLA-A*0201 restricted CD8+ T cell epitope for the glycoprotein B homolog of human herpesvirus 8. Blood 99:3360.