Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Towson University
Towson, MD 21252 USA
Office: Smith 485B
Phone: 410-704-5019
Fax: 410-704-2405
email: bmargulies@towson.edu
Education:
Ph.D. The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Courses Taught:
BIOL 201 - Introduction to Biology I: Cellular Biology & Genetics
BIOL 315 - Medical Microbiology
BIOL 410 - Molecular Biology Lab
BIOL 428 - Virology
BIOL 622 - Gene Expression and Regulation
Research Interests:
The Towson
University Herpes Virus Laboratory (TUHVL) is studying pathogenic mechanisms
employed by five different human herpesviruses and one feline herpesvirus, the
virus¹ interactions with the host immune system, and means of antiviral
intervention for each infectious agent.
Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is the etiologic agent for fever blisters
and cold sores. We are using a mouse model of infection to explore long-term
delivery of the useful anti-herpetic acyclovir. We have already developed
silicone-based controlled-release devices that release acyclovir at a quantity
and rate that completely stops infection in vitro, and prevent reoccurrences in
vivo. We are currently collaborating with multiple labs in the US to improve
efficacy and extend our studies to other viruses and model systems, including
HSV-2, the etiologic agent of genital herpes, and VZV, the cause of chicken pox
and shingles. Our studies are also ongoing in collaboration with Dr. David Maggs
at UC Davis in prevention of feline herpesvirus-associated conjunctivitis in
cats.
We are also examining an odd molecular phenomenon exhibited by the US27-encoded
chemokine receptor-like glycoprotein expressed by human cytomegalovirus (CMV), a
ubiquitous pathogen that tends to cause solid organ damage, including but not
limited to CMV retinitis, a blindness caused by death of retinal cells in the
eye. Although there does not appear to be anything special about the mRNA or
protein sequences from this gene, it is clear that a single transcript codes for
two related glycoproteins. Our favorite hypothesis, that alternative initiation
codons are being employed, is currently under investigation in collaboration
with Dr. Juliet Spencer's lab at USF.
It has been hypothesized, through many lines of circumstantial evidence, that
human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is the indirect cause of multiple sclerosis (MS),
perhaps by tricking the host immune system into attacking itself through a
phenomenon called molecular mimicry. We are determining whether
HHV-6 can infect oligodendrocytes, the cells that are responsible for producing
the myelin sheath, and how this may relate to the development of MS. We believe
such a system will give us an ideal model to test many different antiviral
drugs' ability to combat MS.
Publications:
Margulies, B.J., Browne, H., and W. Gibson. Identification of the Human Cytomegalovirus G Protein-Coupled Receptor Homologue
Encoded by UL33 in Infected Cells and Enveloped Virus Particles. Virology 225:111-125 (1996).
Rucker, J., Edinger, A.L., Sharron, M., Samson, M., Lee, B., Berson, J.F., Yi, Y., Margulies, B., Collman, R.G., Doranz, B.J., Parmentier,
M., and R.W. Doms. Utilization of Chemokine Receptors, Orphan Receptors, and Herpesvirus-Encoded Receptors by Diverse Human
and Simian Immunodeficiency Viruses. J. Virol. 71:8999-9007 (1997).
Edinger, A.L., Margulies, B.J.*, Mankowski, J.L.*, Doranz, B.J.*, Lee, B.*, Rucker, J., Sharron, M. Hoffman, T.L., Berson, J.F., Zink,
M.C., Hirsch, V.M., Clements, J.E., and R.W. Doms (*equal contributors). CD4-Independent, CCR5-Dependent Infection of Brain
Capillary Endothelial Cells by a Neurovirulent Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Strain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:14742-14747 (1997).
Margulies, B.J., Hauer, D.A, and J.E. Clements. Identification and Comparison of Eleven Rhesus Macaque Chemokine Receptors.
AIDS Res. Hum. Retrovir. 17:981-986 (2001).
Bonavia, A., Bullock, B.T., Gisselman, K.M, Margulies, B.J., & Clements, J.E. A Single Amino Acid Change and Truncated TM are
Sufficient for Simian Immunodeficiency Virus to Enter Cells Using CCR5 in a CD4-Independent Pathway. Virology (2005).
Margulies, B.J., and C.A. Ghent. Alternative Assessment Strategy and Its Impact on Student Comprehension in an
Undergraduate Microbiology Course. Microbiology Education.
6:3-7 (2005).
Bonavia, A., Bullock, B.T., Gisselman, K.M., Margulies, B.J., and J.E.
Clements. A Single Amino Acid Change and Truncated
TM are Sufficient for SIV to Enter Cells Using CCR5 in a
CD4-Independent Pathway. Virology 341:12-23 (2005).
Margulies, B.J., and W. Gibson. The Chemokine Receptor Homologue Encoded
by US27 of Human Cytomegalovirus is Heavily
Glycosylated and Is Present in Infected Human Foreskin
Fibroblasts and Enveloped Virus Particles. Virus Res. 123:57-71 (2007).
Johnson, T.P., Frey, R., Modugno, M., Brennan, T.P., and B.J. Margulies "Development of an Aciclovir Implant for the
Effective Long-Term Control of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 Infection in Vero Cells and in Experimentally Infected SKH-1 Mice,"
Int J Antimicrob Agents. 30:428-435 (2007).
Invention:
B.J. Margulies and J.E. Clements. Macaca mulatta CCR8 cDNA (JHU Ref. C03890), 1999
J.E. Clements, A. Bonavia, and B.J. Margulies. Cell Lines that Express SIV/HIV Receptors and Co-Receptors in the K562 Human Cell Line (JHU Ref. C04924), 2001
Patent Pending:
T.P. Johnson and B.J. Margulies. Long-Term Suppression of Herpesvirus Infection
(provisional patent #60805381),
2006; (pending #11/766,298), 2007
Graduate Students:
Ashley Nelson
Undergraduate Students:
Samantha Semenkow, "Use of Silicone-Penciclovir Implants for the Long-Term Prevention of Feline Herpesvirus-1 Recurrence"
Carmine Sozone, "Development of a Phage Display System for Rapid, Low Level Detection of Acyclovir"
Victoria Woodruff with "Development of a novel HPLC-based assay to quantitate low levels of acyclovir"
Shoshana Oberstein with "Creation of an Oligodendrocyte Reporter Cell Line to Determine the Extent of HHV-6 Infection"