Sonali Chaturvedi’s lab investigates the viral gene circuitry that dictates latency and virulence in herpesviruses—leading causes of transplant rejection, birth defects, and blindness—with the goal of developing resistance-proof therapeutics. In addition, her group is pursuing novel therapeutic approaches for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and other emerging viruses.
Disease Areas
Areas of Expertise
Lab Focus
Research Impact
Sonali Chaturvedi’s lab investigates the viral gene circuitry that dictates latency and virulence in herpesviruses—leading causes of transplant rejection, birth defects, and blindness—with the goal of developing resistance-proof therapeutics. In addition, her group is pursuing novel therapeutic approaches for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and other emerging viruses.
Using super-resolution imaging, as well as molecular and genetic approaches, Chaturvedi elucidated a probabilistic bet-hedging mechanism through which cytomegalovirus establishes latency. Understanding this process may lead to new therapeutic approaches to combat the disease. She also identified a novel feedback circuit regulating gene expression in HSV-1. In another line of work, Chaturvedi discovered an approach to disrupt a transcriptional feedback circuit in herpesviruses by targeting a protein-DNA interaction. She showed that disrupting the feedback circuit efficiently blocked viral replication. And remarkably, this novel antiviral approach proved to be resistant to the evolution of escape.
The Chaturvedi Lab is now applying biochemical approaches, systems virology, and synthetic biology approaches to develop antivirals for SARS-CoV-2, herpesviruses and other emerging viruses.
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Professional Titles
Research Investigator, Gladstone Institutes
Bio
Sonali Chaturvedi earned a PhD at the University of California, Riverside, where she studied virus-host interactions in plant viruses. She completed her postdoctoral work at Gladstone Institutes in the laboratory of Leor Weinberger, investigating cytomegalovirus (CMV) and other herpesviruses. These studies led to identification of a molecular mechanism governing latency in CMV and a novel escape-resistant antiviral strategy that employs oligonucleotides to disrupt the viral immediate early circuit. More recently, she has studied antiviral approaches to combat SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. She became an independent research investigator at Gladstone in 2021.
How Did You Get Your Start in Science?
“I got interested in science, particularly virology, after my baby brother was inflicted with the hepatitis B virus when he was 4 years old. I have also been fortunate to have had wonderful mentors who encouraged inquisitiveness and my drive to seek solutions to complex scientific problems.”
Honors and Awards
2021 Distinguished Achievement in Science Award, Gladstone Institutes
2019 Best Abstract, International Conference on Antiviral Research
2018 Career Advancement Award, Gladstone Institutes
2018 Elected as Associate Member, The Scientific Research Honor Society, Sigma Xi
2014 Calavan Award in Recognition of Excellence in Research and Creative, Forward Thinking in Research, University of California, Riverside
2014 Homer and Daisy Chapman Endowed Scholarship Fund for Citrus Research, University of California, Riversid
2013 Dissertation Year Program Award, University of California, Riverside
2012 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, University of California, Riverside
Publications
- A DNA repair pathway can regulate transcriptional noise to promote cell fate transitions. Desai RV, Chen X, Martin B, Chaturvedi S, Hwang DW, Li W, Yu C, Ding S, Thomson M, Singer RH, Coleman RA, Hansen MMK, Weinberger LS. Science. 2021 08 20; 373(6557).
- Studying RNA-Protein Interaction Using Riboproteomics. Chaturvedi S, Rao ALN. Methods Mol Biol. 2021; 2170:213-218.
- A molecular mechanism for probabilistic bet hedging and its role in viral latency. Chaturvedi S, Klein J, Vardi N, Bolovan-Fritts C, Wolf M, Du K, Mlera L, Calvert M, Moorman NJ, Goodrum F, Huang B, Weinberger LS. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 07 21; 117(29):17240-17248.
- The HSV-1 ICP4 Transcriptional Auto-Repression Circuit Functions as a Transcriptional "Accelerator" Circuit. Chaturvedi S, Engel R, Weinberger L. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020; 10:265.
- Feedback-mediated signal conversion promotes viral fitness. Vardi N, Chaturvedi S, Weinberger LS. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 09 11; 115(37):E8803-E8810.
Contact
Sonali Chaturvedi
Email
415.734.4998