Kafatos:Osta, Mike

Click here to visit our NEW WEBSITE

The content below is most likely out of date. We also have a new lean and mean openwetware area.

Mike Osta Division of Cell & Molecular Biology South Kensington Campus, SAF London, SW72AZ UK m.osta@imperial.ac.uk

I was a research associate in the Kafatos/Christophides Lab at Imperial College, London.
I am now at the American University of Beirut. AUB

Research Interests

• Identification of Anopheles gambiae genes involved in the melanization of P. berghei ookinetes and characterization of the genetic interactions within the melanization immune module.
• The roles of C-type lectins, clip-domain serine proteases and their homologues in defence against Plasmodium and bacterial infections.

Education

• 2002, PhD in Biology-Health, Université Montpellier II, France
• 1998, D.E.A in Biology-Health, Université Saint Joseph, Lebanon
• 1997, MSc in Microbiology and Immunology, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Publications

1. Cohuet A, Osta MA, Morlais I, Awono-Ambene PH, Michel K, Simard F, Christophides GK, Fontenille D, and Kafatos FC. Anopheles and Plasmodium: from laboratory models to natural systems in the field. EMBO Rep. 2006 Dec;7(12):1285-9. DOI:10.1038/sj.embor.7400831 |
2. Volz J, Müller HM, Zdanowicz A, Kafatos FC, and Osta MA. A genetic module regulates the melanization response of Anopheles to Plasmodium. Cell Microbiol. 2006 Sep;8(9):1392-405. DOI:10.1111/j.1462-5822.2006.00718.x |
3. Volz J, Osta MA, Kafatos FC, and Müller HM. The roles of two clip domain serine proteases in innate immune responses of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. J Biol Chem. 2005 Dec 2;280(48):40161-8. DOI:10.1074/jbc.M506191200 |
4. Osta MA, Christophides GK, Vlachou D, and Kafatos FC. Innate immunity in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae: comparative and functional genomics. J Exp Biol. 2004 Jul;207(Pt 15):2551-63. DOI:10.1242/jeb.01066 |
5. Osta MA, Christophides GK, and Kafatos FC. Effects of mosquito genes on Plasmodium development. Science. 2004 Mar 26;303(5666):2030-2. DOI:10.1126/science.1091789 |
6. Christophides GK, Zdobnov E, Barillas-Mury C, Birney E, Blandin S, Blass C, Brey PT, Collins FH, Danielli A, Dimopoulos G, Hetru C, Hoa NT, Hoffmann JA, Kanzok SM, Letunic I, Levashina EA, Loukeris TG, Lycett G, Meister S, Michel K, Moita LF, Müller HM, Osta MA, Paskewitz SM, Reichhart JM, Rzhetsky A, Troxler L, Vernick KD, Vlachou D, Volz J, von Mering C, Xu J, Zheng L, Bork P, and Kafatos FC. Immunity-related genes and gene families in Anopheles gambiae. Science. 2002 Oct 4;298(5591):159-65. DOI:10.1126/science.1077136 |
7. Osta M, Gannoun-Zaki L, Bonnefoy S, Roy C, and Vial HJ. A 24 bp cis-acting element essential for the transcriptional activity of Plasmodium falciparum CDP-diacylglycerol synthase gene promoter. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2002 Apr 30;121(1):87-98. DOI:10.1016/s0166-6851(02)00029-4 |
8. Chamat S, Walsh EE, Anderson D, Osta M, Awaraji C, Pan LZ, Ochi J, Shuey S, and Brams P. Human monoclonal antibodies isolated from spontaneous Epstein-Barr virus-transformed tumors of Hu-SPL-SCID mice and specific for fusion protein display broad neutralizing activity toward respiratory syncytial virus. J Infect Dis. 1999 Aug;180(2):268-77. DOI:10.1086/314876 |