The Department of Biology of the University of Thessaloniki is a government-supported institution, which develops research programmes in multiple disciplines of modern biosciences. It was established in 1973. The department occupies 5 floors of the 10-floor biology building. Research groups at the department of biology work on the molecular biology of human herpesviruses, the development of virus diagnostics and vaccines, the antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal activities of natural products, the regulation of mammalian tissue specific transcription, the study of genetic polymorphisms of Greek human populations and the genetics and cell biology of Drosophila and insects of economic importance. The faculty of the department of biology have access to modern facilities which include electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, mass spectroscopy and animal facilities. The current number of faculty and staff at the department of biology is 85.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human herpes virus that is causally linked to the development of life threatening malignancies that include immunoblastic lymphomas of immunocompromised patients, endemic Burkitt’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and anaplastic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Six viral antigens that include one membrane protein (LMP1) and five nuclear proteins (EBNA1, EBNA2, EBNALP, EBNA3A, EBNA3C) have been directly implicated in the transforming function of EBV. A comprehensive investigation of the molecular mechanism of function of oncogenic EBV proteins will lead to the development of targeted and efficient therapeutic approaches against EBV-associated malignancies. Under INCA our research team will pursue: The identification of factors with an essential role in LMP1 signal transduction and EBV-mediated B cell transformation by functional genomic approaches. The analysis of TRAF6 mechanism of function in LMP1 signaling. The investigation of the role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system in LMP1 function.

Sylla BS, Murphy K, Cahir-McFarland E, Lane WS, Mosialos G, Kieff E. The X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome gene product SH2D1A associates with p62dok (Dok1) and activates NF-kappa B. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97:7470-7475, 2000. Luftig MA, Cahir-McFarland E, Mosialos G, Kieff ED. Effects of the NIK aly mutation on NF-{kappa}B activation by the Epstein-Barr virus latent infection membrane protein, LT{beta}R, and CD40. J. Biol. Chem. 276:14602-14606, 2001. Prokova V, Mosialos G, Kardassis D. Inhibition of transforming growth factor beta signaling and Smad-dependent activation of transcription by the latent membrane protein 1 of Epstein-Barr virus. J. Biol. Chem. 277:9342-9350, 2002. Trompouki E, Hatzivassiliou E, Tsichritzis T, Farmer H, Ashworth A, Mosialos G. CYLD is a deubiquitinating enzyme that negatively regulates NF-B activation by TNFR family members. Nature 424:793-796, 2003. Luftig M, Prinarakis E, Yasui T, Tsichritzis T, Cahir-McFarland E, Inoue JI, Nakano H, Mak TW, Yeh WC, Li X, Akira S, Suzuki N, Suzuki S, Mosialos G*, Kieff E*. Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Membrane Protein 1 Activation of NF-B Through IRAK1 and TRAF6. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100:15595-15600, 2003. Jono H, Lim JH, Chen LF, Xu H, Trompouki E, Pan ZK, Mosialos G, Li JD. NF-B Is Essential for Induction of CYLD, the Negative Regulator of NF-B:Evidence for A Novel Inducible Auto-Regulatory Feedback Pathway. J. Biol. Chem., 279:36171-36174, 2004. Panagopoulos D, Victoratos P, Alexiou M, Kollias G, Mosialos G. Comparative analysis of signal transduction by CD40 and the Epstein-Barr virus oncoprotein LMP1 in vivo. J. Virol., 78:13253-13261, 2004. Hatzivassiliou E, Tsichritzis T, Mosialos G. Induction of apoptosis by rewiring the signal transduction of the Epstein-Barr virus oncoprotein LMP1 towards caspase activation. J. Virol., 79:5215-5219, 2005. Wang L, Baiocchi RA, Pal S, Mosialos G, Caligiuri M, Sif S. The BRG1- and hBRM-associated factor BAF57 induces apoptosis by stimulating expression of the cylindromatosis tumor suppressor gene. Mol Cell Biol. 25:7953-7965, 2005. Tzimas C, Michailidou G, Arsenakis M, Kieff E, Mosialos G, Hatzivassiliou EG. Human ubiquitin specific protease 31 is a deubiquitinating enzyme implicated in activation of nuclear factor-kappaB. Cell Signal. 18:83-92, 2006.