Associate Professor - Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences

e-mail: ruthe003@umn.edu

Research Interests
Dr.Rutherford's laboratory studies aspects of the immune system in disease, with primary focus on the host cell response to pathogenic challenge.  Several pathogen/host cells systems are employed, 1) infection of primary alveolar macrophages by the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), and 2) Cryptosporidium parvum infection of intestinal epithelial cells.  Whole genome expression profiling has identified several biochemical pathways, including interferon-mediated resistance networks and apoptosis, as important to promoting pathogen replication.  RNA interference technologies are being used to trace pathways and delineate the role of host cell components.

Another area of research interest is the role of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) in equine recurrent uveitis. The Appaloosa breed is 8 times more likely to development uveitis and to go blind because of it. In that human uveitis is linked to specific alleles of MHC molecules, we are generating primary sequence data for class I and class II loci/alleles in affected and unaffected Appaloosas.

Selected Publications
(For a comprehensive list of  Dr. Rutherford's recent publications, refer to PubMed, a service provided by the National Library of Medicine.)

Zhang, X., N. Reilly, and M.S. Rutherford, 2005. An RNA interfering system for primary porcine alveolar macrophages. Anim. Biotechnol. 16:31-40.

Wang, C., C. Reilly, and M.S. Rutherford, 2005. A method for the comparison of cluster analyses. Statistica Sinica 15:19-33.

Greene, A.L., M.S. Rutherford, R.R. Regal, G.H. Flickinger, J.A. Hendrickson, C. Giulivi, M.E. Mohrman, D.E. Fraser, and J.F. Regal, 2005. Differential gene expression in the effector phase of ovalbumin- vs trimellitic anhydride-induced asthma in the mouse.Toxicol. Sci. 88:420-433.

Dvorak, C.M.T., G.H. Flickinger, J.A. Hendrickson, M.P. Murtaugh, and M.S. Rutherford, 2005. Mapping of genes expressed in activated porcine Peyer’s patches. Anim. Genet. 37:62-65.

Weiss, D.J., C. de Souza, O. Evanson, M. Sanders, and M.S. Rutherford, 2007.  Bovine monocyte TLR2 receptors differentially regulate the intracellular fate of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium.  J. Leuk. Biol., in press.

Current Funding
"Graduate Training in Microbial and Animal Health Genomics”, USDA National Needs Fellowship.

"Intrinsic Molecular Immune Responses of Porcine Macrophages," NRICGP-USDA.

“Host Specificity in Cryptosporidium parvum infection”, NIH.

"Class I MHC Alleles in Equine Recurrent Uveitis", Morris Animal Foundation.

Honors and Awards
Leon Journey Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. 1991-1992

Molecular Veterinary Biosciences Graduate Program Award for Exceptional Teaching. 1999–2000.

Innovations in Graduate Education, University of Minnesota Graduate School. 2006.

Current Students
Mary Mauzy, USDA National Needs Fellow, Comparative and Molecular Biosciences Graduate Program, advisor.

Jin Liu, Comparative and Molecular Biosciences Graduate Program, advisor.

Lee Chaves, Comparative and Molecular Biosciences Graduate Program, committee member.

Jun Han, Veterinary Medicine Graduate Program, committee member.

Lingling Li, Veterinary Medicine Graduate Program, committee member.

Kyra Wingate, Veterinary Medicine Graduate Program, co-advisor.

Ra Mi Cha, Veterinary Medicine Graduate Program, committee member.