Jamie Snyder

Dr. Snyder’s research focuses on viruses that infect organisms living in extreme environments, including high temperature (70-90C) and low pH (pH 1-4) environments. Her lab is are working towards describing in detail the first complete archaeal virus replication cycle. They study two viruses that infect Sulfolobus, STIV1 and STIV3. They have developed genetic systems for both viruses, so we can make mutations and determine the phenotypes of the mutant viruses and are working to determine what cellular proteins the virus utilizes during its infection of the host cell. We hope that by further elucidating the replication cycles of archaeal viruses, we will achieve a better understanding of all archaeal viruses (maybe even bacterial and eukaryal viruses) and perhaps establish links between viruses infecting all the domains of life.