Samuel K Campos, PhD

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Asociate Professor, Immunobiology
Biography
Sam earned his Ph.D. from Rice University in 2005, studying the biology of adenoviral gene therapy vectors and vector targeting in the laboratory of Michael Barry now at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He then trained as a postdoc from 2005-2008 with Michelle Ozbun at the University of New Mexico, focusing on human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Sam came to The University of Arizona in 2008 as an assistant research professor in the BIO5 Institute and joined the Department of Immunobiology as an assistant professor in 2011. Sam was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in Spring 2017.
Cancer Focus
Persistent infections by the high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause 5% of total cancers worldwide, including essentially all of the cervical cancers in women. The overall goal of our research is to understand the molecular mechanisms through which HPVs infect and attain persistence in host epithelium. Knowledge of these mechanisms will broaden our understanding of viral-host interactions, may unveil new aspects of cell biology, and could identify potential targets for therapeutic or prophylactic intervention to prevent HPV infections and their associated cancers.
Selected Publications
I. Aydin, Villalonga-Planells, R., Greune, L., Bronnimann, M. P., Calton, C. M., Becker, M., Lai, K. - Y., Campos, S. K., M Schmidt, A., and Schelhaas, M., “A central region in the minor capsid protein of papillomaviruses facilitates viral genome tethering and membrane penetration for mitotic nuclear entry.”, PLoS Pathog, vol. 13, no. 5, p. e1006308, 2017. PMCID: PMC5412989 PMID: 28464022
C. M. Calton, Bronnimann, M. P., Manson, A. R., Li, S., Chapman, J. A., Suarez-Berumen, M., Williamson, T. R., Molugu, S. K., Bernal, R. A., and Campos, S. K., “Translocation of the papillomavirus L2/vDNA complex across the limiting membrane requires the onset of mitosis.”, PLoS Pathog, vol. 13, no. 5, p. e1006200, 2017. PMCID: PMC5412990 PMID: 28463988
S. K. Campos, “Subcellular Trafficking of the Papillomavirus Genome during Initial Infection: The Remarkable Abilities of Minor Capsid Protein L2.”, Viruses, vol. 9, no. 12, 2017. PMCID: PMC5744145 PMID: 29207511
M. P. Bronnimann, Calton, C. M., Chiquette, S. F., Li, S., Lu, M., Chapman, J. A., Bratton, K. N., Schlegel, A. M., and Campos, S. K., “Furin Cleavage of L2 during Papillomavirus Infection: Minimal Dependence on Cyclophilins.”, J Virol, vol. 90, no. 14, pp. 6224-6234, 2016. PMCID: PMC4936150 PMID: 27122588
M. P. Bronnimann, Chapman, J. A., Park, C. K., and Campos, S. K., “A transmembrane domain and GxxxG motifs within L2 are essential for papillomavirus infection.”, J Virol, vol. 87, no. 1, pp. 464-73, 2013. PMCID: PMC3536380 PMID: 23097431