Evaluating Humoral Immunity Elicited by XBB.1.5 Monovalent COVID-19 Vaccine.

Nguyenla XH, Bates TA, Trank-Greene M, Wahedi M, Tafesse FG, Curlin M. Emerg Infect Dis. 2024 Apr 26;30(6). doi: 10.3201/eid3006.240051.

Humoral Immunity Elicited by the XBB.1.5 Monovalent COVID-19 Vaccine.

Nguyenla XH, Bates TA, Trank-Greene M, Wahedi M, Tafesse FG, Curlin M. medRxiv. 2024 Mar 26:2024.03.25.24304857. doi: 10.1101/2024.03.25.24304857.

Delivery of loaded MR1 monomer results in efficient ligand exchange to host MR1 and subsequent MR1T cell activation.

Kulicke CA, Swarbrick GM, Ladd NA, Cansler M, Null M, Worley A, Lemon C, Ahmed T, Bennett J, Lust TN, Heisler CM, Huber ME, Krawic JR, Ankley LM, McBride SK, Tafesse FG, Olive AJ, Hildebrand WH, Lewinsohn DA, Adams EJ, Lewinsohn DM, Harriff MJ. Commun Biol. 2024 Feb 24;7(1):228. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-05912-4.

Trifunctional Sphinganine: A New Tool to Dissect Sphingolipid Function.

Farley S, Stein F, Haberkant P, Tafesse FG, Schultz C. ACS Chem Biol. 2024 Feb 16;19(2):336-347. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00554. Epub 2024 Jan 29.

Diverging Maternal and Cord Antibody Functions From SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination in Pregnancy.

Adhikari EH, Lu P, Kang YJ, McDonald AR, Pruszynski JE, Bates TA, McBride SK, Trank-Greene M, Tafesse FG, Lu LL. J Infect Dis. 2024 Feb 14;229(2):462-472. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiad421.

ESAT-6 undergoes self-association at phagosomal pH and an ESAT-6 specific nanobody restricts M. tuberculosis growth in macrophages.

Bates TA, Trank-Greene M, Nguyenla X, Anastas A, Gurmessa SK, Merutka IR, Dixon SD, Shumate A, Groncki AR, Parson MA, Ingram JR, Barklis E, Burke JE, Shinde U, Ploegh HL, Tafesse FG. bioRxiv. 2024 Mar 19:2023.08.16.553641. doi: 10.1101/2023.08.16.553641.

Systematic analysis of the sphingomyelin synthase family in C. elegans.

Guzman GG, Farley S, Kyle JE, Bramer LM, Hoeltzl S, van den Dikkenberg J, Holthuis JCM, Tafesse FG. bioRxiv. 2023 Jul 25:2023.07.25.550547. doi: 10.1101/2023.07.25.550547.

Diverging maternal and infant cord antibody functions from SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in pregnancy.

Adhikari EH, Lu P, Kang YJ, McDonald AR, Pruszynski JE, Bates TA, McBride SK, Trank-Greene M, Tafesse FG, Lu LL. bioRxiv. 2023 May 2:2023.05.01.538955. doi: 10.1101/2023.05.01.538955.

An extended interval between vaccination and infection enhances hybrid immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Bates TA, Leier HC, McBride SK, Schoen D, Lyski ZL, Lee DX, Messer WB, Curlin ME, Tafesse FG. JCI Insight. 2023 Mar 8;8(5):e165265. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.165265.

The time between vaccination and infection impacts immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Bates TA, Leier HC, McBride SK, Schoen D, Lyski ZL, Lee DX, Messer WB, Curlin ME, Tafesse FG. medRxiv. 2023 Jan 4:2023.01.02.23284120. doi: 10.1101/2023.01.02.23284120. Preprint.

Genetic Tools for Studying the Roles of Sphingolipids in Viral Infections.

Guzman G, Creek C, Farley S, Tafesse FG. Methods Mol Biol. 2023;2610:1-16. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2895-9_1.

BNT162b2-induced neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibody functions against SARS-CoV-2 diminish with age.

Bates TA, Lu P, Kang YJ, Schoen D, Thornton M, McBride SK, Park C, Kim D, Messer WB, Curlin ME, Tafesse FG, Lu LL. Cell Rep. 2022 Oct 25;41(4):111544. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111544. Epub 2022 Oct 5.

Omicron neutralizing antibody response following booster vaccination compared with breakthrough infection.

Curlin ME, Bates TA, Guzman G, Schoen D, McBride SK, Carpenter SD, Tafesse FG. Med (N Y). 2022 Dec 9;3(12):827-837.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.medj.2022.09.001. Epub 2022 Sep 22.

BNT162b2 induced neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibody functions against SARSCoV-2 diminish with age.

Bates TA, Lu P, Kang YJ, Schoen D, Thornton M, McBride SK, Park C, Kim D, Messer WB, Curlin ME, Tafesse FG, Lu LL. medRxiv. 2022 Aug 16:2022.08.12.22278726. doi: 10.1101/2022.08.12.22278726. Preprint.

"Flash & Click": Multifunctionalized Lipid Derivatives as Tools To Study Viral Infections.

Schultz C, Farley SE, Tafesse FG. J Am Chem Soc. 2022 Aug 10;144(31):13987-13995. doi: 10.1021/jacs.2c02705. Epub 2022 Jul 28.

A Single Dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccine Elicits High Antibody Responses in Individuals with Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection Comparable to That of Two-Dose-Vaccinated, SARS-CoV-2-Infection-Naïve Individuals: A Longitudinal Study in Ethiopian Health Workers.

Gelanew T, Mulu A, Abebe M, Bates TA, Wassie L, Teferi M, Fentahun D, Alemu A, Tamiru F, Assefa G, Bayih AG, Tafesse FG, Mihret A, Abdissa A. Vaccines (Basel). 2022 May 27;10(6):859. doi: 10.3390/vaccines10060859.

A global lipid map reveals host dependency factors conserved across SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Farley SE, Kyle JE, Leier HC, Bramer LM, Weinstein JB, Bates TA, Lee JY, Metz TO, Schultz C, Tafesse FG. Nat Commun. 2022 Jun 17;13(1):3487. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-31097-7.

A lyophilized colorimetric RT-LAMP test kit for rapid, low-cost, at-home molecular testing of SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens.

Song X, Coulter FJ, Yang M, Smith JL, Tafesse FG, Messer WB, Reif JH. Sci Rep. 2022 Apr 29;12(1):7043. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-11144-5.

Omicron neutralizing antibody response following booster vaccination compared with breakthrough infection.

Curlin ME, Bates TA, Guzman G, Schoen D, McBride SK, Carpenter SD, Tafesse FG. medRxiv. 2022 Apr 12:2022.04.11.22273694. doi: 10.1101/2022.04.11.22273694. Preprint.

High seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among Ethiopian healthcare workers.

Gelanew T, Seyoum B, Mulu A, Mihret A, Abebe M, Wassie L, Gelaw B, Sorsa A, Merid Y, Muchie Y, Teklemariam Z, Tesfaye B, Osman M, Jebessa G, Atinafu A, Hailu T, Habte A, Kenea D, Gadisa A, Admasu D, Tesfaye E, Bates TA, Bulcha JT, Tschopp R, Tsehay D, Mullholand K, Howe R, Genetu A, Tafesse FG, Abdissa A. BMC Infect Dis. 2022 Mar 16;22(1):261. doi: 10.1186/s12879-022-07247-z.

A potent alpaca-derived nanobody that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Weinstein JB, Bates TA, Leier HC, McBride SK, Barklis E, Tafesse FG. iScience. 2022 Mar 18;25(3):103960. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.103960. Epub 2022 Feb 22.

A global lipid map reveals host dependency factors conserved across SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Farley SE, Kyle JE, Leier HC, Bramer LM, Weinstein J, Bates TA, Lee JY, Metz TO, Schultz C, Tafesse FG. bioRxiv. 2022 Feb 15:2022.02.14.480430. doi: 10.1101/2022.02.14.480430. Preprint.

Vaccination before or after SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to robust humoral response and antibodies that effectively neutralize variants.

Bates TA, McBride SK, Leier HC, Guzman G, Lyski ZL, Schoen D, Winders B, Lee JY, Lee DX, Messer WB, Curlin ME, Tafesse FG. Sci Immunol. 2022 Feb 18;7(68):eabn8014. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abn8014. Epub 2022 Feb 18.

Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and the Emerging Variants.

van Breemen RB, Muchiri RN, Bates TA, Weinstein JB, Leier HC, Farley S, Tafesse FG. J Nat Prod. 2022 Jan 28;85(1):176-184. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.1c00946. Epub 2022 Jan 10.

Antibody Response and Variant Cross-Neutralization After SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infection.

Bates TA, McBride SK, Winders B, Schoen D, Trautmann L, Curlin ME, Tafesse FG. JAMA. 2022 Jan 11;327(2):179-181. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.22898.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-Specific Memory B Cells From Individuals With Diverse Disease Severities Recognize SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern.

Lyski ZL, Brunton AE, Strnad MI, Sullivan PE, Siegel SAR, Tafesse FG, Slifka MK, Messer WB. J Infect Dis. 2022 Mar 15;225(6):947-956. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab585.

Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants by convalescent and BNT162b2 vaccinated serum.

Bates TA, Leier HC, Lyski ZL, McBride SK, Coulter FJ, Weinstein JB, Goodman JR, Lu Z, Siegel SAR, Sullivan P, Strnad M, Brunton AE, Lee DX, Adey AC, Bimber BN, O'Roak BJ, Curlin ME, Messer WB, Tafesse FG. Nat Commun. 2021 Aug 26;12(1):5135. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-25479-6.

High Seroprevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Among Ethiopian Healthcare Workers.

Gelanew T, Seyoum B, Mulu A, Mihret A, Abebe M, Wassie L, Gelaw B, Sorsa A, Merid Y, Muchie Y, Teklemariam Z, Tesfaye B, Osman M, Jebessa G, Atinafu A, Hailu T, Habte A, Kenea D, Gadissa A, Admasu D, Tesfaye E, Bates TA, Bulcha J, Tschopp R, Tsehay D, Mullholand K, Howe R, Genetu A, Tafesse FG, Abdissa A. Res Sq. 2021 Jul 19:rs.3.rs-676935. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-676935/v1. Preprint.

Age-Dependent Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 and P.1 Variant by Vaccine Immune Serum Samples.

Bates TA, Leier HC, Lyski ZL, Goodman JR, Curlin ME, Messer WB, Tafesse FG. JAMA. 2021 Jul 21;326(9):868-9. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.11656. Online ahead of print.

Capsid-specific nanobody effects on HIV-1 assembly and infectivity.

Alfadhli A, Romanaggi C, Barklis RL, Merutka I, Bates TA, Tafesse FG, Barklis E. Virology. 2021 Oct;562:19-28. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2021.07.001. Epub 2021 Jul 5.

SARS-CoV-2 specific memory B-cells from individuals with diverse disease severities recognize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

Lyski ZL, Brunton AE, Strnad MI, Sullivan PE, Siegel SAR, Tafesse FG, Slifka MK, Messer WB. medRxiv. 2021 Jun 3:2021.05.28.21258025. doi: 10.1101/2021.05.28.21258025. Preprint.

Previously infected vaccinees broadly neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Leier HC, Bates TA, Lyski ZL, McBride SK, X Lee D, Coulter FJ, Goodman JR, Lu Z, Curlin ME, Messer WB, Tafesse FG. medRxiv. 2021 Apr 29:2021.04.25.21256049. doi: 10.1101/2021.04.25.21256049. Preprint.

Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants by convalescent and vaccinated serum.

Bates TA, Leier HC, Lyski ZL, McBride SK, Coulter FJ, Weinstein JB, Goodman JR, Lu Z, Siegel SAR, Sullivan P, Strnad M, Brunton AE, Lee DX, Curlin ME, Messer WB, Tafesse FG. medRxiv. 2021 Apr 9:2021.04.04.21254881. doi: 10.1101/2021.04.04.21254881. Preprint.

Cross-reactivity of SARS-CoV structural protein antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

Bates TA, Weinstein JB, Farley S, Leier HC, Messer WB, Tafesse FG. Cell Rep. 2021 Feb 16;34(7):108737. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108737. Epub 2021 Jan 26.

Ceramide synthase 2 deletion decreases the infectivity of HIV-1.

Barklis E, Alfadhli A, Kyle JE, Bramer LM, Bloodsworth KJ, Barklis RL, Leier HC, Petty RM, Zelnik ID, Metz TO, Futerman AH, Tafesse FG. J Biol Chem. 2021 Jan-Jun;296:100340. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100340. Epub 2021 Jan 28.

Sphingomyelin Biosynthesis Is Essential for Phagocytic Signaling during Mycobacterium tuberculosis Host Cell Entry.

Niekamp P, Guzman G, Leier HC, Rashidfarrokhi A, Richina V, Pott F, Barisch C, Holthuis JCM, Tafesse FG. mBio. 2021 Jan 26;12(1):e03141-20. doi: 10.1128/mBio.03141-20.

Rab6 regulates recycling and retrograde trafficking of MR1 molecules.

Huber ME, Kurapova R, Heisler CM, Karamooz E, Tafesse FG, Harriff MJ. Sci Rep. 2020 Nov 27;10(1):20778. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-77563-4.

Alternative splicing of MR1 regulates antigen presentation to MAIT cells.

Narayanan GA, Nellore A, Tran J, Worley AH, Meermeier EW, Karamooz E, Huber ME, Kurapova R, Tafesse FG, Harriff MJ, Lewinsohn DM. Sci Rep. 2020 Sep 22;10(1):15429. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-72394-9.

Cross-reactivity of SARS-CoV structural protein antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

Bates TA, Weinstein JB, Farley SE, Leier HC, Messer WB, Tafesse FG. bioRxiv. 2020 Jul 30:2020.07.30.229377. doi: 10.1101/2020.07.30.229377. Preprint.

A global lipid map defines a network essential for Zika virus replication.

Leier HC, Weinstein JB, Kyle JE, Lee JY, Bramer LM, Stratton KG, Kempthorne D, Navratil AR, Tafesse EG, Hornemann T, Messer WB, Dennis EA, Metz TO, Barklis E, Tafesse FG. Nat Commun. 2020 Jul 21;11(1):3652. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17433-9.

The Squeaky Yeast Gets Greased: The Roles of Host Lipids in the Clearance of Pathogenic Fungi.

Guzman G, Niekamp P, Tafesse FG. J Fungi (Basel). 2020 Jan 31;6(1):19. doi: 10.3390/jof6010019.

Visualization and Quantification of Phagocytosis by Neutrophils.

Guzman G, Tafesse FG. Methods Mol Biol. 2020;2087:141-148. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0154-9_11.

Heterogeneous GM-CSF signaling in macrophages is associated with control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Bryson BD, Rosebrock TR, Tafesse FG, Itoh CY, Nibasumba A, Babunovic GH, Corleis B, Martin C, Keegan C, Andrade P, Realegeno S, Kwon D, Modlin RL, Fortune SM. Nat Commun. 2019 May 27;10(1):2329. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10065-8.

Ceramides bind VDAC2 to trigger mitochondrial apoptosis.

Dadsena S, Bockelmann S, Mina JGM, Hassan DG, Korneev S, Razzera G, Jahn H, Niekamp P, Müller D, Schneider M, Tafesse FG, Marrink SJ, Melo MN, Holthuis JCM. Nat Commun. 2019 Apr 23;10(1):1832. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-09654-4.

Lipids and pathogenic flaviviruses: An intimate union.

Leier HC, Messer WB, Tafesse FG. PLoS Pathog. 2018 May 10;14(5):e1006952. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006952. eCollection 2018 May.

The activity of myeloid cell-specific VHH immunotoxins is target-, epitope-, subset- and organ dependent.

Bachran C, Schröder M, Conrad L, Cragnolini JJ, Tafesse FG, Helming L, Ploegh HL, Swee LK. Sci Rep. 2017 Dec 20;7(1):17916. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-17948-0.

Ceramide phosphoethanolamine synthase SMSr is a target of caspase-6 during apoptotic cell death.

Cabukusta B, Nettebrock NT, Kol M, Hilderink A, Tafesse FG, Holthuis JCM. Biosci Rep. 2017 Jul 16;37(4):BSR20170867. doi: 10.1042/BSR20170867. Print 2017 Aug 31.

Switching head group selectivity in mammalian sphingolipid biosynthesis by active-site-engineering of sphingomyelin synthases.

Kol M, Panatala R, Nordmann M, Swart L, van Suijlekom L, Cabukusta B, Hilderink A, Grabietz T, Mina JGM, Somerharju P, Korneev S, Tafesse FG, Holthuis JCM. J Lipid Res. 2017 May;58(5):962-973. doi: 10.1194/jlr.M076133. Epub 2017 Mar 23.

Visualizing the Early Stages of Phagocytosis.

Rashidfarrokhi A, Richina V, Tafesse FG. J Vis Exp. 2017 Feb 3;(120):54646. doi: 10.3791/54646.

Switching head group selectivity in mammalian sphingolipid biosynthesis by active-site engineering of sphingomyelin synthases.

Kol M, Panatala R, Nordmann M, Swart L, van Suijlekom L, Cabukusta B, Hilderink A, Grabietz T, Mina JG, Somerharju P, Korneev S, Tafesse FG, Holthuis JC. J Lipid Res. 2016 Jul;57(7):1273-85. doi: 10.1194/jlr.M068692. Epub 2016 May 10.

Usp12 stabilizes the T-cell receptor complex at the cell surface during signaling.

Jahan AS, Lestra M, Swee LK, Fan Y, Lamers MM, Tafesse FG, Theile CS, Spooner E, Bruzzone R, Ploegh HL, Sanyal S. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Feb 9;113(6):E705-14. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1521763113. Epub 2016 Jan 25.

Disruption of Sphingolipid Biosynthesis Blocks Phagocytosis of Candida albicans.

Tafesse FG, Rashidfarrokhi A, Schmidt FI, Freinkman E, Dougan S, Dougan M, Esteban A, Maruyama T, Strijbis K, Ploegh HL. PLoS Pathog. 2015 Oct 2;11(10):e1005188. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005188. eCollection 2015 Oct.

Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Diacylglycerol Content.

Tafesse FG, Strijbis K, Ploegh HL. Bio Protoc. 2014 Aug 5;4(15):e1202. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.1202.

GPR107, a G-protein-coupled receptor essential for intoxication by Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A, localizes to the Golgi and is cleaved by furin.

Tafesse FG, Guimaraes CP, Maruyama T, Carette JE, Lory S, Brummelkamp TR, Ploegh HL. J Biol Chem. 2014 Aug 29;289(35):24005-18. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M114.589275. Epub 2014 Jul 16.

Sphingomyelin synthase-related protein SMSr is a suppressor of ceramide-induced mitochondrial apoptosis.

Tafesse FG, Vacaru AM, Bosma EF, Hermansson M, Jain A, Hilderink A, Somerharju P, Holthuis JC. J Cell Sci. 2014 Jan 15;127(Pt 2):445-54. doi: 10.1242/jcs.138933. Epub 2013 Nov 20.

Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) and Vav1 contribute to Dectin1-dependent phagocytosis of Candida albicans in macrophages.

Strijbis K, Tafesse FG, Fairn GD, Witte MD, Dougan SK, Watson N, Spooner E, Esteban A, Vyas VK, Fink GR, Grinstein S, Ploegh HL. PLoS Pathog. 2013;9(6):e1003446. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003446. Epub 2013 Jun 27.

Intact sphingomyelin biosynthetic pathway is essential for intracellular transport of influenza virus glycoproteins.

Tafesse FG, Sanyal S, Ashour J, Guimaraes CP, Hermansson M, Somerharju P, Ploegh HL. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Apr 16;110(16):6406-11. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1219909110. Epub 2013 Apr 1.

Cell biology: A brake on lipid synthesis.

Tafesse FG, Holthuis JC. Nature. 2010 Feb 25;463(7284):1028-9. doi: 10.1038/4631028a.

Roles of Arabidopsis patatin-related phospholipases a in root development are related to auxin responses and phosphate deficiency.

Rietz S, Dermendjiev G, Oppermann E, Tafesse FG, Effendi Y, Holk A, Parker JE, Teige M, Scherer GF. Mol Plant. 2010 May;3(3):524-38. doi: 10.1093/mp/ssp109. Epub 2010 Jan 6.

Sphingomyelin synthase-related protein SMSr controls ceramide homeostasis in the ER.

Vacaru AM, Tafesse FG, Ternes P, Kondylis V, Hermansson M, Brouwers JF, Somerharju P, Rabouille C, Holthuis JC. J Cell Biol. 2009 Jun 15;185(6):1013-27. doi: 10.1083/jcb.200903152. Epub 2009 Jun 8.

Both sphingomyelin synthases SMS1 and SMS2 are required for sphingomyelin homeostasis and growth in human HeLa cells.

Tafesse FG, Huitema K, Hermansson M, van der Poel S, van den Dikkenberg J, Uphoff A, Somerharju P, Holthuis JC. J Biol Chem. 2007 Jun 15;282(24):17537-47. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M702423200. Epub 2007 Apr 22.

The multigenic sphingomyelin synthase family.

Tafesse FG, Ternes P, Holthuis JC. J Biol Chem. 2006 Oct 6;281(40):29421-5. doi: 10.1074/jbc.R600021200. Epub 2006 Aug 11.