isirv Antiviral Group
Robert Krug, University of Texas, USA
Robert M. Krug, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Fellow of the Mr. and Mrs. Corbin J. Robertson, Sr. Regents Chair in Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
Dr. Krug received his B.A. degree in Chemistry from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Rockefeller University. Prior to his current position at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Krug was a Member (Professor) at the Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York City, and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Dr. Krug’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of influenza virus replication, specifically on the structure and function of viral proteins that play key roles in viral RNA synthesis and in combating host cell antiviral responses. He discovered the “cap-snatching” mechanism that operates in the synthesis of viral messenger RNAs (mRNAs), whereby RNA fragments derived from the 5’ ends of host cell pre-mRNAs in the nucleus serve as primers to initiate the synthesis of viral mRNAs. His current research concerns the role of the viral nucleocapsid protein and host factors in regulating viral RNA synthesis catalyzed by the viral polymerase. In addition, Dr. Krug’s group studies the structure and functions of the NS1 proteins of influenza A and B viruses. These studies include the analysis of the interactions of these two proteins with host factors, for example, the interaction of the NS1 protein of influenza A virus with a host protein (CPSF30) needed for the production of mature host mRNAs, and the interaction of the NS1 protein of influenza B virus with the interferon-induced ISG15 protein. Based on these studies, Dr. Krug and collaborators are targeting the NS1 protein for the development of antivirals against influenza virus.
Dr. Krug received the Interbrew-Baillet Latour Health Prize from the Belgium Fonds National De La Recherche Scientifique for important contributions to influenza virus research. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
