The Molecular Basis of Fitness and Transmissibility of Neuraminidase Inhibitor Resistant Influenza A Viruses

Abstract

DEDICATIONThis dissertation is dedicated to my parents and my own family who have been always giving me unconditional love, indissoluble strength, endless inspiration. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSAll of this would not have been possible had Dr. Robert G. Webster not taken me as his graduate student. I will always remember my first conversation with Dr. Webster about my rotating his lab and the first conversation with Dr. Webster at the day I officially joined the lab: "Work hard, young people." I have been doing nothing but following this simple instruction through all my studies during these years. I will be eternally grateful for Dr. Webster for having faith in me to take me as his student and mentoring my Ph.D study. I thank Dr. Webster for being my mentor in every way, for always giving me the biggest vision about the research and career, for teaching me to start strong and end strong a scientific story, for enlightening me with the most important and critical questions for now and for future in the world of influenza virology.This dissertation would not have been completed in its present way without Dr. Elena G. Govorkova's supervision. The greatest appreciation is to Elena as my supervisor in all kinds of trainings: from introducing me the knowledge of the antiviral field, to helping me experiments in person, to supporting me to develop different projects, to teaching me to write manuscripts, to educating me to be a philosopher, and always reminding me to look pretty as a woman. I will always value all these precious training and experience.Special deep thanks to Dr. Richard J. Webby for providing me different training opportunities in other aspects of influenza virology, for giving me different visions to see different questions. Especially many thanks for his biggest push to greatly move forward the second study in this thesis by adding new angles and much more depth.Special thanks to my committee members, Dr. Paul Thomas, Dr. Michael Whitt and Dr. Tony Marion for giving me different perspectives to look the virology field, for always teaching me to think questions harder, deeper and more precisely.Special thanks to Scott Krauss for his general support for all studies.Special thanks to Dr. Subrata Barman and Dr. Charles Russell for kindly providing related experimental materials and working instructions.Many thanks to a former postdoctor fellow in our lab, Dr. David Boltz, for being a good teacher and good friend to me, for introducing me the influenza genome analysis, for helping me to develop the methodology project and for giving me encouragement to through the ups and downs of the studies. Many thanks to another former postdoctor fellow, Dr. Hui-ling Yen, for also being a great teacher and friend to me, for her unique comments and inspiring discussion on many influenza questions and for her dear encouragement for me all the time. Many thanks to other current and former postdoctor fellows in our flu group for helping me with their respective expertise and those include Dr. Hassan, Zarakat, Dr. Henju Marjuki, D...