Lulla Group

Our Research

Our research focuses on the replication and pathogenicity of intestinal RNA viruses, using astroviruses and enteroviruses as model systems. We are using human intestinal organoids as a platform to address gut-specific determinants of enteric virus infection and neuron infection model to dissect CNS-specific infections. We are developing a range of molecular tools to answer burning questions in enteric virus biology:

• Regulation of translation, replication and virus release
• Polyprotein processing dynamics
• Replication signatures in the gut-specific environment
• Conserved RNA elements, their functions and therapeutic potential
• Determinants of neurovirulence

Key publications:

1. Lulla V* and Sridhar A*. Understanding neurotropic enteric viruses: routes of infection and mechanisms of attenuation. (2024). Review. Cell Mol Life Sci, 81(1):413.
2. Ali H, Noyvert D, Hankinson J, Lindsey G, Lulla A., Lulla V*. The astrovirus N-terminal nonstructural protein anchors replication complexes to the perinuclear ER membranes. (2024). PLOS Pathogens, 20(7):e1011959.
3. Ali H, Lulla A, Nicholson AS, Hankinson J, Wignall-Fleming EB, O'Connor RL, Vu D-L, Graham SC, Deane JE, Guix S, Lulla V*. Attenuation hotspots in neurotropic human astroviruses. (2023). PLOS Biology, 21(7):e3001815.
4. Lulla V*, Wandel M, Bandyra KJ, Ulferts R, Wu M, Dendooven T, Yang X, Doyle N, Oerum S, Beale R, O’Rourke S, Randow F, Maier H, Scott W*, Ding Y*, Firth AE*, Bloznelyte K*, Luisi B*. (2021). Targeting the conserved stem loop 2 motif in the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Journal of Virology, 95(14):e0066321.
5. Lulla V*, Firth AE* (2020). A hidden gene in astroviruses encodes a viroporin. Nature Communications, 11(1):4070.
6. Lulla V*, Dinan AM, Hosmillo M, Chaudhry Y, Sherry L, Irigoyen N, Nayak KM, Stonehouse NJ, Zilbauer M, Goodfellow I, Firth AE*. (2019). An upstream protein-coding region in enteroviruses modulates virus infection in gut epithelial cells. Nature Microbiology, 4(2):280-292.

Full publication list on Google Scholar

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Dr Valeria Lulla

Principal Investigator

Group Members

Past lab members: Dr Hashim Ali (now at UCL), Gemma Lindsey (part II student), Samantha Cheng (EPLS Summer student), Morgan Reid (EPLS Summer student), and Imran Darr (part II student).