Sandra Quackenbush

Dr. Quackenbush is Professor of Retrovirology. Her laboratory studies viral-induced oncogenesis, in particular, a newly defined group of retroviruses from fish, which provide a model system of both oncogenesis and tumor regression. For example, the walleye dermal sarcoma virus (WDSV) is a complex retrovirus encodes three viral accessory/regulatory proteins that are involved in the induction of sarcomas that regress on a seasonal basis. The biology of these tumors is associated with cyclic differences in the expression of viral transcripts and infectious virus. The Quackenbush lab seeks to determine the mechanisms by which the viral regulatory proteins control transcription, signal transduction, apoptosis, and transformation in the piscine systems.