Hannah Johnson

Research Summary

My research focuses on the host-pathogen interface between neurons and T. gondii. T. gondii not only primarily infects neurons over any other central nervous system cell type, it also hides in life-long cysts within the neuron. These cysts are chiefly in neuron processes rather than the neuron soma. My research focuses on the sub-regional differences in neuron cytokine activation and response to T. gondii infection. Why are most cysts in the processes? Does the neuron move T. gondii into a distal process to preserve cellular function at the soma? Does cytokine activation lead to greater clearance in the soma compared to an axon? By examining how sub-regions differentially respond to T. gondii, I hope to define how T. gondii establishes a chronic infection and what neuronal factors impact the likelihood of its survival.

Publications

Johnson, HJ. Koshy, AA. “Latent Toxoplasmosis Effects on Rodents and Humans: How Much is Real and How Much is Media Hype?” mBio 11, e02164-19 (2020) DOI:10.1128/mBio.02164-19
Merritt EF*, Johnson HJ*, Wong ZS, Buntzman AS, Conklin AC, Cabral CM, Romanoski CE, Boyle JP, Koshy AA. “Transcriptional Profiling Suggests T Cells Cluster around Neurons Injected with Toxoplasma gondii Proteins.” mSphere. 2020 Sep 2;5(5):e00538-20. doi: 10.1128/mSphere.00538-20. PMID: 32878927; PMCID: PMC7471001.
*Co-first authors. Author order by seniority.