John G. Purdy, PhD

Assistant Professor, Immunobiology
Research Fellow, BIO5 Institute

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.

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. 

Degrees
  • BS: Pacific University
  • PhD: Penn State University College of Medicine
Fellowship
  • Post-doctoral Fellow: Princeton University

Recent Publications

2019

Passalacqua, K. D., J. G. Purdy, and C. E. Wobus, "The inert meets the living: The expanding view of metabolic alterations during viral pathogenesis.", PLoS Pathog, vol. 15, issue 7, pp. e1007830, 2019 Jul. PMCID: PMC6657903  PMID: 31344128
Xi, Y., S. Harwood, L. Wise, and J. G. Purdy, "Human Cytomegalovirus pUL37x1 is Important to Remodeling of Host Lipid Metabolism.", J Virol, 2019 Aug 07. PMID: 31391267

2017

Leng, S. X., J. Kamil, J. G. Purdy, N. A. Lemmermann, M. J. Reddehase, and F. D. Goodrum, "Recent advances in CMV tropism, latency, and diagnosis during aging.", Geroscience, vol. 39, issue 3, pp. 251-259, 2017 06. PMCID: PMC5505884  PMID: 28681110

2015

Purdy, J. G., T. Shenk, and J. D. Rabinowitz, "Fatty acid elongase 7 catalyzes lipidome remodeling essential for human cytomegalovirus replication.", Cell Rep, vol. 10, issue 8, pp. 1375-85, 2015 Mar 3. PMCID: PMC4354725  PMID: 25732827

2014

Hwang, J., J. G. Purdy, K. Wu, J. D. Rabinowitz, and T. Shenk, "Estrogen-related receptor α is required for efficient human cytomegalovirus replication.", Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 111, issue 52, pp. E5706-15, 2014 Dec 30. PMCID: PMC4284536  PMID: 25512541
England, M. R., J. G. Purdy, I. J. Ropson, P. M. Dalessio, and R. C. Craven, "Potential role for CA-SP in nucleating retroviral capsid maturation.", J Virol, vol. 88, issue 13, pp. 7170-7, 2014 Jul. PMCID: PMC4054415  PMID: 24719425

2013

Grady, S. L., J. G. Purdy, J. D. Rabinowitz, and T. Shenk, "Argininosuccinate synthetase 1 depletion produces a metabolic state conducive to herpes simplex virus 1 infection.", Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 110, issue 51, pp. E5006-15, 2013 Dec 17. PMCID: PMC3870743  PMID: 24297925
Koyuncu, E., J. G. Purdy, J. D. Rabinowitz, and T. Shenk, "Saturated very long chain fatty acids are required for the production of infectious human cytomegalovirus progeny.", PLoS Pathog, vol. 9, issue 5, pp. e1003333, 2013. PMCID: PMC3656100  PMID: 23696731

2011

Rabinowitz, J. D., J. G. Purdy, L. Vastag, T. Shenk, and E. Koyuncu, "Metabolomics in drug target discovery.", Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol, vol. 76, pp. 235-46, 2011. PMCID: PMC4084595  PMID: 22114327

2010

Butan, C., P. M. Lokhandwala, J. G. Purdy, G. Cardone, R. C. Craven, and A. C. Steven, "Suppression of a morphogenic mutant in Rous sarcoma virus capsid protein by a second-site mutation: a cryoelectron tomography study.", J Virol, vol. 84, issue 13, pp. 6377-86, 2010 Jul. PMCID: PMC2903260  PMID: 20427531