Contact

• workSchool of Veterinary Medicine and Science
  Sutton Bonington Campus
  Sutton Bonington
  Leicestershire
  LE12 5RD
  UK
• work0115 951 6448
• Toshana.Foster@nottingham.ac.uk

Biography

Dr Toshana Foster is an Assistant Professor in Molecular Virology and first established her research at the School as a Nottingham Research Fellow in 2018. Prior to this, Toshana obtained a Wellcome-funded PhD in the structural, biochemical and functional characterisation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) proteins from the University of Leeds in 2011. Following this, she moved to King's College London as a Postdoctoral Research Associate working on the molecular and cell biology of HIV-1 proteins. She investigated the role of innate immunity factors in restricting HIV-1 and their influence on HIV-1 envelope entry pathways. Now at Nottingham, Toshana's work has made significant contributions to understanding the molecular pathways and mechanisms that emerging arenaviruses exploit to establish infection. These zoonotic viruses pose an emerging threat to human health, and Toshana's group investigates how these viruses may circumvent host innate immune responses to cause disease and to cross the species barrier.

ORCid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7752-8987

Research Summary

Research in the group will focus on understanding the molecular pathways and mechanisms that emerging viruses such as the Arenaviridae, exploit to establish infection and will investigate how they… read more

Recent Publications

• SCOTT, CLAIRE, KANKANALA, JAYAKANTH, FOSTER, TOSHANA L., GOLDHILL, DANIEL H., BAO, PENG, SIMMONS, KATIE, PINGEN, MARIEKE, BENTHAM, MATTHEW, ATKINS, ELIZABETH, LOUNDRAS, ELENI, ELDERTIELD, RUTH, CLARIDGE, JOLYON K., THOMPSON, JOSEPH, STILWELL, PETER R., TATHINENI, RANJITHA, MCKIMMIE, CLIVE S., TARGETT-ADAMS, PAUL, SCHNELL, JASON R., COOK, GRAHAM P., EVANS, STEPHEN, BARCLAY, WENDY S., FOSTER, RICHARD and GRIFFIN, STEPHEN, 2020. Site-directed M2 proton channel inhibitors enable synergistic combination therapy for rimantadine-resistant pandemic influenza PLOS PATHOGENS. 16(8),
• SHAW, JOSEPH, GOSAIN, RAJENDRA, KALITA, MONOJ MON, FOSTER, TOSHANA L, KANKANALA, JAYAKANTH, MAHATO, D RAM, ABAS, SONIA, KING, BARNABAS J, SCOTT, CLAIRE, BROWN, EMMA, BENTHAM, MATTHEW J, WETHERILL, LAURA, BLOY, ABIGAIL, SAMSON, ADEL, HARRIS, MARK, MANKOURI, JAMEL, ROWLANDS, DAVID J, MACDONALD, ANDREW, TARR, ALEXANDER W, FISCHER, WOLFGANG B, FOSTER, RICHARD and GRIFFIN, STEPHEN, 2020. Rationally derived inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) p7 channel activity reveal prospect for bimodal antiviral therapy. eLife. 9,
• STOTT, ROBERT J., STRECKER, THOMAS and FOSTER, TOSHANA L., 2020. Distinct Molecular Mechanisms of Host Immune Response Modulation by Arenavirus NP and Z Proteins VIRUSES. 12(7),
• FOSTER TL, PICKERING S and NEIL SJD, 2018. Inhibiting the Ins and Outs of HIV Replication: Cell-Intrinsic Antiretroviral Restrictions at the Plasma Membrane. Frontiers in immunology. 8, 1853

• View all publications

Current Research

Research in the group will focus on understanding the molecular pathways and mechanisms that emerging viruses such as the Arenaviridae, exploit to establish infection and will investigate how they circumvent the host innate immune response in order to cross the species barrier.

• SCOTT, CLAIRE, KANKANALA, JAYAKANTH, FOSTER, TOSHANA L., GOLDHILL, DANIEL H., BAO, PENG, SIMMONS, KATIE, PINGEN, MARIEKE, BENTHAM, MATTHEW, ATKINS, ELIZABETH, LOUNDRAS, ELENI, ELDERTIELD, RUTH, CLARIDGE, JOLYON K., THOMPSON, JOSEPH, STILWELL, PETER R., TATHINENI, RANJITHA, MCKIMMIE, CLIVE S., TARGETT-ADAMS, PAUL, SCHNELL, JASON R., COOK, GRAHAM P., EVANS, STEPHEN, BARCLAY, WENDY S., FOSTER, RICHARD and GRIFFIN, STEPHEN, 2020. Site-directed M2 proton channel inhibitors enable synergistic combination therapy for rimantadine-resistant pandemic influenza PLOS PATHOGENS. 16(8),
• SHAW, JOSEPH, GOSAIN, RAJENDRA, KALITA, MONOJ MON, FOSTER, TOSHANA L, KANKANALA, JAYAKANTH, MAHATO, D RAM, ABAS, SONIA, KING, BARNABAS J, SCOTT, CLAIRE, BROWN, EMMA, BENTHAM, MATTHEW J, WETHERILL, LAURA, BLOY, ABIGAIL, SAMSON, ADEL, HARRIS, MARK, MANKOURI, JAMEL, ROWLANDS, DAVID J, MACDONALD, ANDREW, TARR, ALEXANDER W, FISCHER, WOLFGANG B, FOSTER, RICHARD and GRIFFIN, STEPHEN, 2020. Rationally derived inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) p7 channel activity reveal prospect for bimodal antiviral therapy. eLife. 9,
• STOTT, ROBERT J., STRECKER, THOMAS and FOSTER, TOSHANA L., 2020. Distinct Molecular Mechanisms of Host Immune Response Modulation by Arenavirus NP and Z Proteins VIRUSES. 12(7),
• FOSTER TL, PICKERING S and NEIL SJD, 2018. Inhibiting the Ins and Outs of HIV Replication: Cell-Intrinsic Antiretroviral Restrictions at the Plasma Membrane. Frontiers in immunology. 8, 1853
• RIHN SJ, FOSTER TL, BUSNADIEGO I, AZIZ MA, HUGHES J, NEIL SJ and WILSON SJ, 2017. The Envelope Gene of Transmitted HIV-1 Resists a Late Interferon Gamma-Induced Block. Journal of virology. 91(7),
• FOSTER TL, WILSON H, IYER SS, COSS K, DOORES K, SMITH S, KELLAM P, FINZI A, BORROW P, HAHN BH and NEIL SJD, 2016. Resistance of Transmitted Founder HIV-1 to IFITM-Mediated Restriction. Cell host & microbe. 20(4), 429-442
• KUECK T, FOSTER TL, WEINELT J, SUMNER JC, PICKERING S and NEIL SJ, 2015. Serine Phosphorylation of HIV-1 Vpu and Its Binding to Tetherin Regulates Interaction with Clathrin Adaptors. PLoS pathogens. 11(8), e1005141
• FOSTER TL, THOMPSON GS, KALVERDA AP, KANKANALA J, BENTHAM M, WETHERILL LF, THOMPSON J, BARKER AM, CLARKE D, NOERENBERG M, PEARSON AR, ROWLANDS DJ, HOMANS SW, HARRIS M, FOSTER R and GRIFFIN S, 2013. Structure-guided design affirms inhibitors of hepatitis C virus p7 as a viable class of antivirals targeting virion release. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.). 59(2), 408-22
• BENTHAM MJ, FOSTER TL, MCCORMICK C and GRIFFIN S, 2013. Mutations in hepatitis C virus p7 reduce both the egress and infectivity of assembled particles via impaired proton channel function. The Journal of general virology. 94(Pt 10), 2236-48
• FOSTER TL, GALLAY P, STONEHOUSE NJ and HARRIS M, 2011. Cyclophilin A interacts with domain II of hepatitis C virus NS5A and stimulates RNA binding in an isomerase-dependent manner. Journal of virology. 85(14), 7460-4
• FOSTER TL, VEROW M, WOZNIAK AL, BENTHAM MJ, THOMPSON J, ATKINS E, WEINMAN SA, FISHWICK C, FOSTER R, HARRIS M and GRIFFIN S, 2011. Resistance mutations define specific antiviral effects for inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus p7 ion channel. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.). 54(1), 79-90
• FOSTER TL, BELYAEVA T, STONEHOUSE NJ, PEARSON AR and HARRIS M, 2010. All three domains of the hepatitis C virus nonstructural NS5A protein contribute to RNA binding. Journal of virology. 84(18), 9267-77
• CARTER SD, DENT KC, ATKINS E, FOSTER TL, VEROW M, GORNY P, HARRIS M, HISCOX JA, RANSON NA, GRIFFIN S and BARR JN, 2010. Direct visualization of the small hydrophobic protein of human respiratory syncytial virus reveals the structural basis for membrane permeability. FEBS letters. 584(13), 2786-90
• FOSTER TL, TEDBURY PR, PEARSON AR and HARRIS M, 2009. A comparative analysis of the fluorescence properties of the wild-type and active site mutants of the hepatitis C virus autoprotease NS2-3. Biochimica et biophysica acta. 1804(1), 212-22
• STGELAIS C, FOSTER TL, VEROW M, ATKINS E, FISHWICK CW, ROWLANDS D, HARRIS M and GRIFFIN S, 2009. Determinants of hepatitis C virus p7 ion channel function and drug sensitivity identified in vitro. Journal of virology. 83(16), 7970-81
• SHANMUGANATHAN,V.A., FOSTER,T., KULKARNI,B.B., HOPKINSON,A., GRAY,T., POWE,D.G., LOWE,J. and DUA,H.S, 2006. Morphological Characteristics of the Limbal Epithelial Crypt British Journal of Ophthalmology. 91, 514-519