TOBILI YVONNE SAM-YELLOWE
Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences
Cleveland State University
Office: (216) 687-2068
Lab: (216) 687-2482
Fax: (216) 687-6972
E-mail: t.sam-yellowe@csuohio.edu
Education:
BS
MS
PhD
MPH
Microbiology, University of Oklahoma 1979
Microbiology, University of Oklahoma 1981
Microbiology, University of Montana 1986
Public Health, Cleveland State University 2009
Professional Experience:
Postdoctoral Associate
Professor of Biology
Adjunct Faculty
Faculty
Biochemical Parasitology, The
Rockefeller University, New York, NY (Laboratory of Dr.
Margaret Perkins, 1986-1990).
Cleveland State University 1990 to present
Department of Immunology, Lerner
Research Institute of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
1998 to present
Department of Life Sciences, International Space
University, Cleveland Summer Session, June 17-August
22, 1998. Topic: “Microbes and Microgravity”
Teaching:
Human Biology in Health and Disease
Immunology
Parasitology
Histology
Honors, Awards and Activities
Fogarty International Center of the U.S., NIH, Minority International Training (MIRT)
Program, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK 1996
Fogarty International Center of the U.S., NIH, Course on “Vectors and Vector Borne
Diseases in Africa”, Bamako, Mali 1997
New England Biolabs Molecular Biology Summer Workshops, Smith College,
Northampton, MA 2000
National Science Foundation Chautauqua Short Course “Updating Immunology”
Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, MA 2001
National Institutes of Health (R21), 2005-2007
Cleveland State University Established Full-time Faculty Research Development
Program (EFFRD), 2005-2007
Research Interests
Malaria immunology, cell biology and molecular biology
A major research area in my lab involves investigations of the role of rhoptry
proteins in erythrocyte binding and invasion by Plasmodium merozoites. Investigations
include: proteome analysis of the merozoite rhoptries, study of the immune response to
rhoptry proteins & identification of determinants of blood stage immunity to Plasmodium
in murine models, development of diagnostic biomarkers for malaria and mechanisms of
the formation and function of the parasitophorous vacuole during intracellular blood
stage development of Plasmodium. Rhoptries are specialized organelles found in invasive
stages of Apicomplexan parasites such as in Plasmodium sp, the causative agent of
malaria. Rhoptry proteins released during merozoite attachment and invasion into the
host erythrocyte aid in the formation of the tight junction and parasitophorous vacuole.
We investigated the composition of the rhoptry organelle using antibody production
against isolated rhoptries and also by multidimensional protein identification technology
(MudPIT) using isolated rhoptries. We identified novel proteins within the organelle that
we are currently characterizing with the aim of identifying genes encoding proteins that
participate in merozite invasion, parasitophorous vacuole formation, development of
blood stage immunity and the identification of motifs critical to binding and host cell
invasion shared among invasive stages (zoites) within the Apicomplexa.
A second area of interest in the lab is macromolecular trafficking within the
infected erythrocyte. We continue to investigate the Maurer’s clefts (MCs), structures
that are formed as part of an elaborate intracellular membrane network in Plasmodium
falciparum- infected red blood cells. Proteins destined to secretory compartments within
the infected erythrocyte and to the surface of the infected erythrocyte are transported
through this network. Using proteome analysis of immune complexes, we identified a
novel multigene family; PfMC-2TM that encodes proteins located in the MCs. We
continue to investigate this new gene family to understand the mechanisms of protein
traffic within the infected erythrocyte, the role of PfMC-2TM proteins in protein traffic
and formation & maintenance of the MCs during the blood stage of P. falciparum.
Selected publications:
1.
Sam-Yellowe, T. Y., Florens, L., Johnson, J. R., Wang, T., Drazba, J. A., Le
Roch, K. G., Zhou, Y., Batalov, S., Carucci, D. J., Winzeler, E. A. and Yates, J.
R. III. (2004) A Plasmodium gene family encoding Maurer’s cleft membrane
proteins: Structural properties and expression profiling. Genome Research
14:1052-1059.
2.
Sam-Yellowe, T. Y., Florens, L., Wang, T., Raine, J. D., Carucci, D. J., Sinden,
R. and Yates. J. R. III (2004) Proteome analysis of rhoptry organelles isolated
from Plasmodium merozoites. Journal of Proteome Research 3:995-1001.
3.
Wang, T., Fujioka, H., Drazba, J. A. and Sam-Yellowe, T. Y. (2006) Rhop-3
protein conservation among Plasmodium species and induced protection against
lethal P. yoelii and P. berghei challenge. Parasitology Research, Parasitol. Res.
99:238-252.
4.
T. Sam-Yellowe, T. Wang, J. Tao, T. Banks, L. Everett, J. Drazba, and H.
Fujioka (2006) Cloning of a Novel Plasmodium yoelii parasitophorous vacuole
membrane gene. Proceedings of the 11th International Congress of Parasitology
(ICOPA XI) August 6-11, 2006, page 571-576.
5.
T. Banks, S. Gaines, N. Lovelace, H. Fujioka and T. Sam-Yellowe (2006) Novel
Plasmodium yoelii merozoite rhoptry proteins. Proceedings of the 11th
International Congress of Parasitology (ICOPA XI) August 6-11, 2006, page 251256.
6.
Sam-Yellowe, T. Y., Banks, T. L., Fujioka, H., Drazba, J. A. and Yadav, S. P.
(2008) Plasmodium yoelii: Novel rhoptry proteins identified within the body of
merozoite rhoptries in rodent Plasmodium malaria. Exp. Parasitol. 120:113-117.
7.
Tsarukyanova, I., Drazba, J. A., Fujioka, H., Yadav, S. and Sam-Yellowe, T. Y.
(2009) Proteins of the Plasmodium falciparum two transmembrane Maurer’s cleft
protein family, PfMC-2TM and the 130 kDa Maurer’s cleft protein define
different domains of the infected erythrocyte intramembranous network. Parasitol.
Res. 104:875-891.
8.
Sam-Yellowe, T. Y. (2009) The role of the Maurer’s clefts in protein transport in
Plasmodium falciparum. Trend Parasitol. 25:277-284.