Paul Ahlquist is an American virologist who is Professor of Oncology, Molecular Virology, and Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is the Associate Director of Basic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center and the Director of the John and Jeanne Rowe Center for Research in Virology at the Morgridge Institute for Research.

Education

Ahlquist earned his B.S. in physics from Iowa State University and his Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research is focused on the gene expression of RNA viruses.^[1]

Honors and awards

Ahlquist was admitted to the National Academy of Sciences in 1993^[2] and was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator from 1997 to 2021.^[3]

Research

His work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Morgridge Institute for Research focuses on molecular mechanisms of viral replication, host interactions, and oncogenesis.^[4]

Select publications

• Zhan H., Unchwaniwala N., Rebolledo-Viveros A., Pennington J., Horswill M., Broadberry R., Myers J., den Boon J.A.., Grant T., Ahlquist P. Nodavirus RNA replication crown architecture reveals proto-crown precursor and viral protein A conformational switching. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Jan 31;120(5):e2217412120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2217412120. PMID 36693094; PMCID: PMC9945985.
• den Boon, J. A., Zhan, H., Unchwaniwala, N., Horswill, M., Slavik, K., Pennington, J., Navine, A., & Ahlquist, P. (2022). Multifunctional Protein A Is the Only Viral Protein Required for Nodavirus RNA Replication Crown Formation. Viruses, 14(12), 2711. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14122711.
• Evans, E. L., 3rd, Pocock, G. M., Einsdorf, G., Behrens, R. T., Dobson, E. T. A., Wiedenmann, M., Birkhold, C., Ahlquist, P., Eliceiri, K. W., & Sherer, N. M. (2022). HIV RGB: Automated Single-Cell Analysis of HIV-1 Rev-Dependent RNA Nuclear Export and Translation Using Image Processing in KNIME. Viruses, 14(5), 903. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14050903.
• Albright, E. R., Morrison, K., Ranganathan, P., Carter, D. M., Nishikiori, M., Lee, J. H., Slayton, M. D., Ahlquist, P., Terhune, S. S., & Kalejta, R. F. (2022). Human cytomegalovirus lytic infection inhibits replication-dependent histone synthesis and requires stem loop binding protein function. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(14), e2122174119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2122174119.
• Benner, B. E., Bruce, J. W., Kentala, J. R., Murray, M., Becker, J. T., Garcia-Miranda, P., Ahlquist, P., Butcher, S. E., & Sherer, N. M. (2022). Perturbing HIV-1 Ribosomal Frameshifting Frequency Reveals a cis Preference for Gag-Pol Incorporation into Assembling Virions. Journal of virology, 96(1), e0134921. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01349-21.
• Unchwaniwala, N., Zhan, H., den Boon, J. A., & Ahlquist, P. (2021). Cryo-electron microscopy of nodavirus RNA replication organelles illuminates positive-strand RNA virus genome replication. Current opinion in virology, 51, 74–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coviro.2021.09.008.
• Unchwaniwala, N., Zhan, H., Pennington, J., Horswill, M., den Boon, J. A., & Ahlquist, P. (2020). Subdomain cryo-EM structure of nodaviral replication protein A crown complex provides mechanistic insights into RNA genome replication. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(31), 18680–18691. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2006165117.
• Nishikiori, M., & Ahlquist, P. (2018). Organelle luminal dependence of (+)strand RNA virus replication reveals a hidden druggable target. Science advances, 4(1), eaap8258. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aap8258.
• den Boon, J. A., Pyeon, D., Wang, S. S., Horswill, M., Schiffman, M., Sherman, M., Zuna, R. E., Wang, Z., Hewitt, S. M., Pearson, R., Schott, M., Chung, L., He, Q., Lambert, P., Walker, J., Newton, M. A., Wentzensen, N., & Ahlquist, P. (2015). Molecular transitions from papillomavirus infection to cervical precancer and cancer: Role of stromal estrogen receptor signaling. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(25), E3255–E3264. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1509322112.
• Giménez-Barcons, M., Alves-Rodrigues, I., Jungfleisch, J., Van Wynsberghe, P. M., Ahlquist, P., and Díez, J. The Cellular Decapping Activators LSm1, Pat1, and Dhh1 Control the Ratio of Subgenomic to Genomic Flock House Virus RNAs. J. Virol., 87(11): 6192-6200, 2013.
• Seidel, S., Bruce, J., Leblanc, M., Lee, K.-F., Fan, H., Ahlquist, P., and Young, J. A. T. ZASC1 Knockout Mice Exhibit an Early Bone Marrow-Specific Defect in Murine Leukemia Virus Replication. Virol. J., 10(1): 130, 2013.
• Diaz, A., and Ahlquist, P. Role of Host Reticulon Proteins in Rearranging Membranes for Positive-Strand RNA Virus Replication. Curr. Opin. Microbiol., 15: 519-524, 2012.
• Diaz, A., Gallei, A., and Ahlquist, P. Bromovirus RNA Replication Compartment Formation Requires Concerted Action of 1a’s Self-Interacting RNA Capping and Helicase Domains. J. Virol., 86: 821-834, 2012.
• Huang, H.-S., Pyeon, D., Pearce, S. M., Lank, S. M., Griffin, L. M., Ahlquist, P., and Lambert, P. F. Novel Antivirals Inhibit Early Steps in HPV Infection. Antiviral Res., 93: 280-287, 2012.
• Wen, Z., Pyeon, D., Wang, Y., Lambert, P., Xu, W., and Ahlquist, P. Orphan Nuclear Receptor PNR/NR2E3 Stimulates p53 Functions by Enhancing p53 Acetylation. Mol. Cell. Biol., 32: 26-35, 2012.
• Zhang, J., Diaz, A., Mao, L., Ahlquist, P., and Wang, X. Host Acyl Coenzyme A Binding Protein Regulates Replication Complex Assembly and Activity of a Positive-Strand RNA Virus. J. Virol., 86: 5110-5121, 2012.
• Gancarz, B. L., Hao, L., He, Q., Newton, M. A., and Ahlquist, P. Systematic Identification of Novel, Essential Host Genes Affecting Bromovirus RNA Replication. PLoS One, 6(8):e23988, 2011.
• Scholthof, K.-B. G., Adkins, S., Czosnek, H., Palukaitis, P., Jacquot, E., Hohn, T., Hohn, B., Saunders, K., Candresse, T., Ahlquist, P., Hemenway, C., and Foster, G. D. Top 10 Plant Viruses in Molecular Plant Pathology. Mol. Plant Pathol., 12: 938-954, 2011.
• Wang, X., Diaz, A., Hao, L., Gancarz, B., den Boon, J. A., and Ahlquist, P. Intersection of the Multivesicular Body Pathway and Lipid Homeostasis in RNA Replication by a Positive-Strand RNA Virus. J. Virol., 85: 5494-5503, 2011.^[1]