Viejo-Borbolla lab

“Viral Immune and Neuromodulation” (VIN Lab)

Research Interests:

In the “Viral Immune and Neuromodulation” lab, we aim to understand how human viruses modulate these two systems. We mainly focus on human herpesviruses, including herpes simplex virus type 1, type 2, varicella zoster virus, Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and human cytomegalovirus. We are interested in the viral modulation of extracellular proteins that play key roles in intra and intercellular communication, such as cytokines and neurotrophic factors as well as their receptors. We also investigate viral modulation of cellular receptors involved in the activity of the immune and/or nervous systems, such as killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor, vanilloid receptors, etc. These proteins are essential to coordinate the host response to infection and are targeted by herpesviruses, playing key roles in infection control and pathogenesis. To achieve our goals, we apply a wide range of biochemistry, molecular and cell biology techniques such as protein expression and purification, surface plasmon resonance, chemotaxis, angiogenesis, cytotoxicity assays, etc.
We believe that working with others is fun and required to obtain great results, so we collaborate with many colleagues worldwide. Moreover, we know that the future of science requires training and mentoring the new generations of researchers, so we are always looking for bright, young minds out there. Finally, we embrace diversity since it is essential to create an open-minded, fruitful and successful environment.

The Team

Publications in peer-reviewed journals, Reviews, Book chapters, Comments etc.

Selected Publications:

• Mendes-Monteiro L, Viejo-Borbolla A. 2025. Using structure-function information from IFN-γ-binding proteins and biased agonists to uncouple immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive activities. Trends in Immunology, doi: 10.1016/j.it.2025.02.013
• Jacobsen C, Plückebaum N, Ssebyatika G, Beyer S, Mendes-Monteiro L, Wang J, Kropp KA, González-Motos V, Steinbrück L, Ritter B, Rodríguez-González C, Böning H, Nikolouli E, Kinchington PR, Lachmann N, Depledge DP, Krey T, Viejo-Borbolla A. 2024. Viral modulation of type II interferon increases T cell adhesion and virus spread. Nature Communications; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49657-4
• Passos, V., Henkel, L.M., Wang, J., Zapatero-Belinchón, F.J., Möller, R., Sun, G., Waltl, I., Schneider, T., Wachs, A., Ritter, B., Kropp, K.A., Zhu, S., Deleidi, M., Kalinke, U., Schulz, T.F., Höglinger, G., Gerold, G., Wegner, F., and Viejo-Borbolla, A. 2024. Innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection contributes to neuronal damage in human iPSC-derived peripheral neurons. J Med Virol; doi: 10.1002/jmv.29455
• Sun, G., Kropp, K.A., Kirchner, M., Plückebaum, N., Selich, A., Serrero, M., Dhingra, A., Cabrera, J.R., Ritter, B., Bauerfeind, R., Wyler, E., Landthaler, M., Schambach, A., Sodeik, B., Mertins, P., and Viejo-Borbolla, A. 2024. Herpes simplex virus type 1 modifies the protein composition of extracellular vesicles to promote neurite outgrowth and neuroinfection. mBio; doi:10.1128/mbio.03308-23
• Kropp, K., Sun, G., and Viejo-Borbolla, A. 2023. Colonization of peripheral ganglia by herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2. Curr Opin Virol, 60:101333, doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2023.101333
• Zhu, S., Stanslowsky, N., Fernández-Trillo, J., Mamo, TM., Yu, P., Kalmbach, N., Ritter, B., Eggenschwiler, R., Ouwendijk, WJD., Mzinza, D., Tan, L., Leffler, A., Spohn, M., Brown, RJP., Kropp, KA., Kaever, V., Ha, T-C., Narayanan, P., Grundhoff, A., Förster, R., Schambach, A., Verjans, GMGM., Schmidt, M., Kispert, A., Cantz, T., Gomis, A., Wegner, F., and Viejo-Borbolla, A. 2021. Generation of hiPSC-derived low threshold mechanoreceptors containing axonal termini resembling bulbous sensory nerve endings and expressing Piezo1 and Piezo2. Stem Cell Research, doi: 10.1016/j.scr.2021.102535
• Zhu, S., and Viejo-Borbolla, A. 2021. Pathogenesis and virulence of herpes simplex virus. Virulence, 12:1, 2670-2702, doi: 10.1080/21505594.2021.1982373
• Kropp, K.A., López-Muñoz, A.D., Ritter, B., Martín, R., Rastrojo, A., Srivaratharajan, S., Döhner, K., Dhingra, A., Czechowicz, J.S., Nagel, C.-H., Sodeik, B., Alcami, A. and Viejo-Borbolla, A. 2020. Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Counteracts Neurite Outgrowth Repulsion During Infection In A Nerve Growth Factor-Dependent Manner. Journal of Virology, 15:JVI.01370-20. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01370-20
• González-Motos, V., Jürgens, C., Ritter, B., Kropp, K.A., Durán, V., Larsen, O., Binz, A., Ouwendijk, W.J.D., Rovis, T.L., Jonjic, S., Verjans, G.M.G.M., Sodeik, B., Krey, T., Bauerfeind, R., Schulz, T.F., Kaufer, B.B., Kalinke, U., Proudfoot, A.E.I., Rosenkilde, M.M., and Viejo-Borbolla, A. 2017. Varicella zoster virus glycoprotein C increases chemokine-mediated leukocyte migration. PLoS Pathogens, 13(5):e1006346. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006346. This article was highlighted with a “Press Release” from PLoS Pathogens
• Cabrera, J.R.#, Viejo-Borbolla, A.#, Martinez-Martín, N., Blanco, S., Wandosell, F., and Alcami, A. 2015. Secreted Herpes Simplex Virus-2 glycoprotein G modifies NGF-TrkA signaling to attract free nerve endings to the site of infection. PLoS Pathogens, 11(1):e1004571. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004571. # Both authors contributed equally

Teaching

Coordinator of the module Infectious Diseases and Diagnostics of the Erasmus Plus Mundus Master Program “Infectious diseases One Health” (IDOH, https://www.infectious-diseases-one-health.eu/)  together with Andreas Rummel (Toxicology, MHH) and Nishanth Gopala (Microbiology, MHH).

Lecturer in the PhD Program Center for Infection Biology (ZIB)/Molecular Medicine of the MHH; in the Virology Module of MMH/TiHo; in the MSc Biomedicine – MSc Biochemistry/Biomedicine. Lecturer in the Lower Saxony International Summer Academy (Twincore) and in the MSc in Biomolecules and Cell Dynamics of the “Universidad Autónoma de Madrid”.