John G. Purdy

John G. Purdy, PhD

Associate Professor, Immunobiology

Associate Professor, Cancer Biology-GIDP

Faculty Fellow, BIO5 Institute

1657 E Helen St
Tucson, AZ 85721

BIO5 Institue
Room 423

(520) 626-4371

jgpurdy@arizona.edu

Links

Purdy Lab

Pubmed

John Purdy earned an undergraduate degree from Pacific University and a Ph.D. from Penn State University College of Medicine. He performed his graduate studies in the biochemistry of assembly retroviral capsid in the laboratory of Drs. Rebecca Craven and John Flanagan. Afterwards he trained in metabolomics at the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University while working in the laboratories of Drs. Joshua Rabinowitz and Thomas Shenk. He has been a member of the UA faculty since October 2015.

Degrees

BS: Pacific University
PhD: Penn State University College of Medicine

Work Experience

Post-doctoral Fellow: Princeton University

Research Interests

All viruses hijack host cell machinery to facilitate their replication. Producing infectious viral progeny relies on host cell metabolic pathways to provide energy and building blocks such as nucleotides, amino acids, and lipids. I am interested in investigating the molecular remodeling of cellular metabolic and lipid environments by viruses. The overall goal of my research in dissecting the complex virus-host metabolism interactions is to guide the development of novel antiviral therapies.

Publications

Kline, Ian, Mokry, Rebekah L, Xi, Yuecheng, et al. Human cytomegalovirus promotes PC synthesis during early virus replication. J Virol. 2025;99(9):e0057925. doi:10.1128/jvi.00579-25

Mokry, Rebekah L, Purdy, John G. Glucose-independent human cytomegalovirus replication is supported by metabolites that feed upper glycolytic branches. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024;121(48):e2412966121. doi:10.1073/pnas.2412966121

Ganji, Rakesh, Paulo, Joao A, Xi, Yuecheng, et al. The p97-UBXD8 complex regulates ER-Mitochondria contact sites by altering membrane lipid saturation and composition. Nat Commun. 2023;14(1):638. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-36298-2

Sweedo, Alice, Wise, Lisa M, Roka-Moiia, Yana, et al. Shear-Mediated Platelet Activation is Accompanied by Unique Alterations in Platelet Release of Lipids. Cell Mol Bioeng. 2021;14(6):597-612. doi:10.1007/s12195-021-00692-x

Xi, Yuecheng, Lindenmayer, Lena, Kline, Ian, von Einem, Jens, Purdy, John G. Human Cytomegalovirus Uses a Host Stress Response To Balance the Elongation of Saturated/Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Very-Long-Chain Fatty Acids. mBio. 2021;12(3). doi:10.1128/mBio.00167-21

Wise, Lisa M, Xi, Yuecheng, Purdy, John G. Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α (HIF1α) Suppresses Virus Replication in Human Cytomegalovirus Infection by Limiting Kynurenine Synthesis. mBio. 2021;12(2). doi:10.1128/mBio.02956-20

Turner, Declan L, Korneev, Denis V, Purdy, John G, de Marco, Alex, Mathias, Rommel A. The host exosome pathway underpins biogenesis of the human cytomegalovirus virion. Elife. 2020;9. doi:10.7554/eLife.58288

Passalacqua, Karla D, Purdy, John G, Wobus, Christiane E. The inert meets the living: The expanding view of metabolic alterations during viral pathogenesis. PLoS Pathog. 2019;15(7):e1007830. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1007830

Xi, Yuecheng, Harwood, Samuel, Wise, Lisa, Purdy, John G. Human Cytomegalovirus pUL37x1 is Important to Remodeling of Host Lipid Metabolism. J Virol. Published online January 1, 2019. doi:10.1128/JVI.00843-19

Leng, Sean X, Kamil, Jeremy, Purdy, John G, Lemmermann, Niels A, Reddehase, Matthias J, Goodrum, Felicia D. Recent advances in CMV tropism, latency, and diagnosis during aging. Geroscience. 2017;39(3):251-259. doi:10.1007/s11357-017-9985-7

Purdy, John G, Shenk, Thomas, Rabinowitz, Joshua D. Fatty acid elongase 7 catalyzes lipidome remodeling essential for human cytomegalovirus replication. Cell Rep. 2015;10(8):1375-85. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2015.02.003

England, Matthew R, Purdy, John G, Ropson, Ira J, Dalessio, Paula M, Craven, Rebecca C. Potential role for CA-SP in nucleating retroviral capsid maturation. J Virol. 2014;88(13):7170-7. doi:10.1128/JVI.00309-14

Hwang, Jesse, Purdy, John G, Wu, Kai, Rabinowitz, Joshua D, Shenk, Thomas. Estrogen-related receptor α is required for efficient human cytomegalovirus replication. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014;111(52):E5706-15. doi:10.1073/pnas.1422361112

Grady, Sarah L, Purdy, John G, Rabinowitz, Joshua D, Shenk, Thomas. Argininosuccinate synthetase 1 depletion produces a metabolic state conducive to herpes simplex virus 1 infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110(51):E5006-15. doi:10.1073/pnas.1321305110

Koyuncu, Emre, Purdy, John G, Rabinowitz, Joshua D, Shenk, Thomas. Saturated very long chain fatty acids are required for the production of infectious human cytomegalovirus progeny. PLoS Pathog. 2013;9(5):e1003333. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1003333

Butan, Carmen, Lokhandwala, Parvez M, Purdy, John G, Cardone, Giovanni, Craven, Rebecca C, Steven, Alasdair C. Suppression of a morphogenic mutant in Rous sarcoma virus capsid protein by a second-site mutation: a cryoelectron tomography study. J Virol. 2010;84(13):6377-86. doi:10.1128/JVI.00207-10

Purdy, John G, Flanagan, John M, Ropson, Ira J, Craven, Rebecca C. Retroviral capsid assembly: a role for the CA dimer in initiation. J Mol Biol. 2009;389(2):438-51. doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2009.04.006

Cardone, Giovanni, Purdy, John G, Cheng, Naiqian, Craven, Rebecca C, Steven, Alasdair C. Visualization of a missing link in retrovirus capsid assembly. Nature. 2009;457(7230):694-8. doi:10.1038/nature07724

Purdy, John G, Flanagan, John M, Ropson, Ira J, Rennoll-Bankert, Kristen E, Craven, Rebecca C. Critical role of conserved hydrophobic residues within the major homology region in mature retroviral capsid assembly. J Virol. 2008;82(12):5951-61. doi:10.1128/JVI.00214-08

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