Wei Kong

Dr. Wei Kong, research assistant professor, received a Ph.D. degree in bacterial genetics from the Kyushu University, Japan in 2000.  Dr. Kong was a Postdoctoral Associate for the project of development of live bacterial vaccine vector, mentored by Dr. Roy Curtiss III, at the Department of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University,

Dr. Kong and others in Dr. Curtiss lab have developed a protective antigen and DNA vaccine delivery platform using self-destructing Salmonella for the prevention and treatment of infectious and non-infectious diseases (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/asu-fft070808.php) (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/asu-ndv110512.php) .

Currently, Dr. Kong’s research interests are: 1) with NIH/NCI support, developself-destructing Salmonella based anti-colorectal cancer therapeutic vaccine; 2) with NIH/NIAID support, develop self-destructing Salmonella based anti-Influenza vaccine; 3) develop self-destructing Salmonella based anti-Eimeria vaccine.

Selected Publications

2012

Kong, W, M. Brovold, B. A. Koeneman, J. E. Clark - Curtiss, and R. Curtiss III. Turning self - destructing Salmonella into a universal DNA vaccine delivery platform.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA.  109 (47): 19414 - 19419 (Selected as Faculty of 1000 Microbiology). (2012)

2011

Zhao, G, W. Kong (Co - first author), Weatherspoon - Griffin, N., J. E. Clark - Curtiss and Y. Shi. Premature transcription termination requires Mg2  - enhanced MgtL translation within Mg2 riboswitch. EMBO J. 30 (8): 1485 – 1496. (2011)

Ashraf S., W. Kong, S. F. Wang, J. Yang, and R. Curtiss III. Protective cellular responses elicited by vaccination with influenza nucleoprotein delivered by live recombinant attenuated Salmonella  vaccine. Vaccine. 29 (23): 3990 - 4002. (2011)

Weatherspoon-Griffin, N., G. Zhao, W. Kong, Y. Kong, M. Morigen, H. Andrews - Polymenis, M. McClelland, and Y. Shi. The CpxR/CpxA two - component system upregulates two Tat - dependent peptidoglycan amidases to confer bacterial resistance to antimicrobial peptide. J. Biol. Chem. 286 (7): 5529 - 5539. (2011)

Zhang X.M., S. Y. Wanda, K. Brenneman, W. Kong, X. Zhang, K. Roland and R. Curtiss III. Improving Salmonella vector with rec mutation to stabilize the DNA cargoes. BMC Microbiology 11. MS:1038164561476335. (2011)

2010

Wang S.F., Y.H. Li, G. Scarpellini, W. Kong, H.Y. Shi, C.H. Baek, B. Gunn, S.Y. Wanda, K.L. Roland, X. Zhang, P. Senechal-Willis and R. Curtiss III.  Salmonella vaccine vectors displaying delayed antigen synthesis in vivo to enhance immunogenicity. Infect. Immun. 78: 3969 - 3980. (2010)

Ameiss, K., S. Ashraf, W. Kong, A. Pekosz, W.H. Wu, J.N. Billaud, and R. Curtiss III. Delivery of woodchuck hepatitis virus - like particle presented influenza M2e by recombinant attenuated Salmonella displaying a delayed lysis phenotype. Vaccine. 28: 6704 - 6713. (2010)

Curtiss, R. III, W. Xin, Y. Li, W. Kong, S. Y. Wanda, B. M. Gunn, and S. Wang. New technologies in using recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccine vectors. Crit. Rev. Immunol. 30: 255 - 270. (2010)

2009

Curtiss, R. III, S.Y. Wanda, B. Gunn, X. Zhang, S.A. Tinge, V. Ananthnarayan, H. Mo, S. F. Wang, and W. Kong. Salmonella  vaccine strains with regulated delayed attenuation in vivo. Infect. Immun. 77: 1071 - 1082. (2009)

Zhang, X., W. Kong, S. Ashraf, and R. Curtiss III. A “one-plasmid” system to generate influenza virus in cultured chicken cells for potential use in influenza vaccine. J. Virol. 83: 9296 - 9303. (2009)

2008

Zhao G., N. Weatherspoon, W. Kong, R. Curtiss III, and Y. Shi. A Dual- Signal Regulatory Circuit Activates Transcription of A Set of Divergent Operons in Salmonella typhimurium. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 105 (52): 20924 - 20929 (Selected as Faculty of 1000 Biology). (2008)

Song H.W., W. Kong (Co-first author), N. Weatherspoon, G. Z. Qin, W. Tyler, J. Turk, R. Curtiss III, and Y. Shi. Modulation of the regulatory activity of bacterial two-component systems by SlyA. J. Biol. Chem., 283 (42): 28158 - 28168. (2008)

Kong, W., S.Y. Wanda, X. Zhang, W. Bollen, S.A. Tinge, K.L. Roland, and R. Curtiss III. Regulated programmed lysis of recombinantSalmonella in host tissues to release protective antigens and confer biological containment. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 105 (27): 9361 - 9366 (Highlighted in “In This Issue” of PNAS). (2008)

Kong, W., N. Weatherspoon, and Y. Shi. Molecular mechanism for establishment of signal - dependent regulation in the PhoP/PhoQ system. J. Biol. Chem., 283 (24): 16612 - 16621. (2008)