Jeremy J Martinson, DPhil

My lab studies the molecular processes that generate genetic variation, and also the consequences of such variation in humans. We use a variety of genomic and transcriptomic approaches to study susceptibility and resistance to disease, both infectious and genetic, and to show how infectious diseases have long acted as a potent selective force in the shaping of the dynamic human genome. 

Susceptibility to HIV infection and AIDS. Since the discovery in the 1990s of the first genetic variants that confer protection against HIV infection and the progression to AIDS, my lab has been working to identify additional genes with similar effects. We study this in humans and in a rhesus macaque experimental system. 

Cardiovascular complications of HIV therapy. The introduction of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) has transformed the lives of many HIV-positive individuals. For some individuals, however, HAART carries a risk of cardiovascular side-effects. HIV infection itself can contribute to cardiovascular disease risk, and we are investigating the extent to which host genetics, HIV infection, and HAART interact to give rise to cardiovascular disease in patients enrolled in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS).

Epigenetics and aging in chronic HIV infection. Due to the success of therapy, many HIV+ individuals are living longer lives, but some are now showing diseases of aging at unexpectedly younger ages. We are examining the impact of epigenetic factors, such as DNA methylation, on this process. 

1991 | Oxford University, Oxford UK | D.Phil 

PUBHLT2015 Public Health Biology | Course Director and Primary Instructor
PUBHLT2011 Essentials of Public Health | Course Director and Primary Instructor
IDM2010 Pathogen Biology | Course Director and Primary Instructor
IDM2014 Functional Genomics of Microbial Pathogens | Course Director and Primary Instructor

Compaore TR, Soubeiga ST, Ouattara AK, Obiri-Yeboah D, Tchelougou D,
Maiga M, Assih M, Bisseye C, Bakouan D, Compaore IP, Dembele A, Martinson J, Simpore J. APOBEC3G Variants and Protection against HIV-1 Infection in Burkina Faso. PLoS One. 2016 Jan 7;11(1):e0146386. PMID: 26741797.

Marino RB, Kingsley LA, Hussain SK, Bream JH, Penogonda S, Duggal P,
Martinson JJ. Lipid levels in HIV-positive Men Receiving Anti-Retroviral
Therapy are not Associated with Copy Number Variation of Reverse Cholesterol Transport Pathway Genes. BMC Research Notes. 2015 Nov 21;8:697. PMID: 26590594

Becker JT, Martinson JJ, Penugonda S, Kingsley L, Molsberry S, Reynolds S, Aronow A, Goodkin K, Levine A, Martin E, Miller EN, Munro CA, Ragin A, Sacktor N. No association between Apoe4 alleles, HIV infection, age, neuropsychological outcome, or death. Journal of Neurovirology. 2015 Feb;21(1):24-31. PMID:25388225

Nicholaou MJ, Martinson JJ, Abraham AG, Brown TT, Hussain SK, Wolinsky SM, Kingsley LA. HAART-Associated Dyslipidemia Varies by Biogeographical Ancestry in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. AIDS research and human retroviruses. 2013 Mar 8. PMID:23343448. PMID:23343448

Duskova K, Nagilla P, Le HS, Iyer P, Thalamuthu A, Martinson J, Bar-Joseph Z, Buchanan W, Rinaldo C, Ayyavoo V. MicroRNA regulation and its effects on cellular transcriptome in human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infected individuals with distinct viral load and CD4 cell counts. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2013;13:250. PMID:23721325

Pelak K, Need AC, Fellay J, Shianna KV, Feng S, Urban TJ, Ge D, De Luca A, Martinez-Picado J, Wolinsky SM, Martinson JJ, Jamieson BD, Bream JH, Martin MP, Borrow P, Letvin NL, McMichael AJ, Haynes BF, Telenti A, Carrington M, Goldstein DB, Alter G, NIAID Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology. Copy number variation of KIR genes influences HIV-1 control. PLoS biology. 2011 Nov;9(11):e1001208. PMID:22140359

Le Clerc S, Coulonges C, Delaneau O, Van Manen D, Herbeck JT, Limou S, An P, Martinson JJ, Spadoni JL, Therwath A, Veldink JH, van den Berg LH, Taing L, Labib T, Mellak S, Montes M, Delfraissy JF, Schächter F, Winkler C, Froguel P, Mullins JI, Schuitemaker H, Zagury JF. Screening low-frequency SNPS from genome-wide association study reveals a new risk allele for progression to AIDS. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999). 2011 Mar 1;56(3):279-84. PMID:21107268