Professor Sassan Asgari
Professor

Sassan Asgari

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 52043

Background

Insect host-pathogen interactions

In the evolutionary arm race between insects and their pathogens, insects as hosts continuously evolve traits to inhibit pathogen replication, and in turn pathogens evolve mechanisms to evade their hosts’ immune responses. In the Asgari Lab, we are interested in exploring these evolutionary adaptations, in particular in regards to mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue virus. The major areas of research in the lab are:

  1. Exploring pro- and anti-viral factors in mosquitoes using molecular approaches, including next generation sequencing and bioinformatics analyses
  2. Investigating the role of non-coding RNAs (including microRNAs) in insect biology and host-pathogen interactions
  3. Understanding the effect of insect microbiome on replication of viruses

Availability

Professor Sassan Asgari is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, Isfahan University of Technology
  • Masters (Coursework) of Agricultural Studies, University of Adelaide
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Adelaide
  • Graduate Certificate, The University of Queensland

Search Professor Sassan Asgari’s works on UQ eSpace

184 works between 1994 and 2025
All (184) Journal Article (169) Book Chapter (13) Conference Publication (2)

121 - 140 of 184 works

2012

Journal Article

RNA interference as a cellular defense mechanism against the DNA virus, baculovirus

Jayachandran, Balanchandran, Hussain, Mazhar and Sassan, Asgari (2012). RNA interference as a cellular defense mechanism against the DNA virus, baculovirus. Journal of Virology, 86 (24), 13729-13734. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02041-12

RNA interference as a cellular defense mechanism against the DNA virus, baculovirus

2012

Journal Article

Suppression of scavenger receptors transcription by parasitoid factors

Etebari, Kayvan, Hussain, Mazhar and Asgari, Sassan (2012). Suppression of scavenger receptors transcription by parasitoid factors. Developmental and Comparative Immunology, 38 (4), 517-524. doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2012.08.006

Suppression of scavenger receptors transcription by parasitoid factors

2012

Journal Article

Wolbachia-induced aae-miR-12 miRNA negatively regulates the expression of MCT1 and MCM6 genes in Wolbachia-infected mosquito cell line

Osei-Amo, Solomon, Hussain, Mazhar, O'Neill, Scott L. and Asgari, Sassan (2012). Wolbachia-induced aae-miR-12 miRNA negatively regulates the expression of MCT1 and MCM6 genes in Wolbachia-infected mosquito cell line. PLoS One, 7 (11) e50049, e50049.1-e50049.8. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050049

Wolbachia-induced aae-miR-12 miRNA negatively regulates the expression of MCT1 and MCM6 genes in Wolbachia-infected mosquito cell line

2012

Journal Article

Insect tolerance to the crystal toxins Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab is mediated by the binding of monomeric toxin to lipophorin glycolipids causing oligomerization and sequestration reactions

Ma, Gang, Rahman, Mahbubur M., Grant, Warwick, Schmidt, Otto and Asgari, Sassan (2012). Insect tolerance to the crystal toxins Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab is mediated by the binding of monomeric toxin to lipophorin glycolipids causing oligomerization and sequestration reactions. Developmental and Comparative Immunology, 37 (1), 184-192. doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2011.08.017

Insect tolerance to the crystal toxins Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab is mediated by the binding of monomeric toxin to lipophorin glycolipids causing oligomerization and sequestration reactions

2012

Journal Article

West Nile virus encodes a microRNA-like small RNA in the 3' untranslated region which up-regulates GATA4 mRNA and facilitates virus replication in mosquito cells

Hussain, Mazhar, Torres, Shessy, Schnettler, Esther, Funk, Anneke, Grundhoff, Adam, Pijlman, Gorben P., Khromykh, Alexander A. and Asgari, Sassan (2012). West Nile virus encodes a microRNA-like small RNA in the 3' untranslated region which up-regulates GATA4 mRNA and facilitates virus replication in mosquito cells. Nucleic Acids Research, 40 (5), 2210-2223. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkr848

West Nile virus encodes a microRNA-like small RNA in the 3' untranslated region which up-regulates GATA4 mRNA and facilitates virus replication in mosquito cells

2012

Book Chapter

Venoms from endoparasitoids

Asgari, Sassan (2012). Venoms from endoparasitoids. Parasitoid viruses: symbionts and pathogens. (pp. 217-231) edited by Nancy E. Beckage and Jean-Michel Drezen. London, U.K.: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-384858-1.00018-7

Venoms from endoparasitoids

2011

Journal Article

Inhibition of melanization by a parasitoid serine protease homolog venom protein requires both the clip and the non-catalytic protease-like domains

Thomas, Pune and Asgari, Sassan (2011). Inhibition of melanization by a parasitoid serine protease homolog venom protein requires both the clip and the non-catalytic protease-like domains. Insects, 2 (4), 509-514. doi: 10.3390/insects2040509

Inhibition of melanization by a parasitoid serine protease homolog venom protein requires both the clip and the non-catalytic protease-like domains

2011

Journal Article

Deep sequencing-based transcriptome analysis of Plutella xylostella larvae parasitized by Diadegma semiclausum

Etebari, Kayvan, Palfreyman, Robin W., Schlipalius, David, Nielsen, Lars K., Glatz, Richard V. and Asgari, Sassan (2011). Deep sequencing-based transcriptome analysis of Plutella xylostella larvae parasitized by Diadegma semiclausum. BMC Genomics, 12 (1) 446, 446.1-446.18. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-12-446

Deep sequencing-based transcriptome analysis of Plutella xylostella larvae parasitized by Diadegma semiclausum

2011

Journal Article

Role of microRNAs in insect host-microorganism interactions

Asgari, Sassan (2011). Role of microRNAs in insect host-microorganism interactions. Frontiers in Physiology, 2 Article 48, 48.1-48.8. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2011.00048

Role of microRNAs in insect host-microorganism interactions

2011

Journal Article

Wolbachia uses host microRNAs to manipulate host gene expression and facilitate colonization of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti

Hussain, Mazhar, Frentiu, Francesca D., Moreira, Luciano A., O'Neill, Scott L. and Asgari, Sassan (2011). Wolbachia uses host microRNAs to manipulate host gene expression and facilitate colonization of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America - PNAS, 108 (22), 9250-0255. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1105469108

Wolbachia uses host microRNAs to manipulate host gene expression and facilitate colonization of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti

2011

Journal Article

Infection with the wMel and wMelPop strains of Wolbachia leads to higher levels of melanization in the hemolymph of Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila simulans and Aedes aegypti

Thomas, P, Kenny, N, Eyles, D, Moreira, LA, O'Neill, SL and Asgari, S (2011). Infection with the wMel and wMelPop strains of Wolbachia leads to higher levels of melanization in the hemolymph of Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila simulans and Aedes aegypti. Developmental and Comparative Immunology, 35 (3), 360-365. doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2010.11.007

Infection with the wMel and wMelPop strains of Wolbachia leads to higher levels of melanization in the hemolymph of Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila simulans and Aedes aegypti

2011

Journal Article

Identification of an in vitro interaction between an insect immune suppressor protein (CrV2) and G alpha proteins

Cooper, Tamara H., Bailey-Hill, Kelly, Leifert, Wayne R., McMurchie, Edward J., Asgari, Sassan and Glatz, Richard V. (2011). Identification of an in vitro interaction between an insect immune suppressor protein (CrV2) and G alpha proteins. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 286 (12), 10466-10475. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M110.214726

Identification of an in vitro interaction between an insect immune suppressor protein (CrV2) and G alpha proteins

2011

Journal Article

Venom proteins from endoparasitoid wasps and their role in host-parasite interactions

Asgari, Sassan and Rivers, David B. (2011). Venom proteins from endoparasitoid wasps and their role in host-parasite interactions. Annual Review of Entomology, 56, 313-335. doi: 10.1146/annurev-ento-120709-144849

Venom proteins from endoparasitoid wasps and their role in host-parasite interactions

2011

Book Chapter

Family Ascoviridae

Bigot, Y., Asgari, S., Bideshi, D., Cheng, X. W., Federici, B. A. and Renault, S (2011). Family Ascoviridae. Virus taxonomy: Ninth report of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. (pp. 147-150) edited by Andrew M. Q. King, Michael J. Adams, Eric B. Carstens and Elliot J. Lefkowitz. San Diego, CA, United States: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-384684-6.00011-2

Family Ascoviridae

2011

Journal Article

Improving group functioning in solving realistic problems

Asgari, Sassan and Dall'Alba, Gloria (2011). Improving group functioning in solving realistic problems. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 5 (1), 1-14. doi: 10.20429/ijsotl.2011.050108

Improving group functioning in solving realistic problems

2010

Journal Article

Ectopic expression of an endoparasitic wasp venom protein in Drosophila melanogaster affects immune function, larval development and oviposition

Thomas, P., Yamada, R., Johnson, K. N. and Asgari, S. (2010). Ectopic expression of an endoparasitic wasp venom protein in Drosophila melanogaster affects immune function, larval development and oviposition. Insect Molecular Biology, 19 (4), 473-480. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2583.2010.01004.x

Ectopic expression of an endoparasitic wasp venom protein in Drosophila melanogaster affects immune function, larval development and oviposition

2010

Journal Article

An Ascovirus-Encoded RNase III Autoregulates Its Expression and Suppresses RNA Interference-Mediated Gene Silencing

Hussain, Mazher, Abraham, Alexander M. and Asgari, Sassan (2010). An Ascovirus-Encoded RNase III Autoregulates Its Expression and Suppresses RNA Interference-Mediated Gene Silencing. Journal of Virology, 84 (7), 3624-3630. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02362-09

An Ascovirus-Encoded RNase III Autoregulates Its Expression and Suppresses RNA Interference-Mediated Gene Silencing

2010

Journal Article

Effects of an ascovirus (HvAV-3e) on diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, and evidence for virus transmission by a larval parasitoid

Furlong, Michael J. and Asgari, Sassan (2010). Effects of an ascovirus (HvAV-3e) on diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, and evidence for virus transmission by a larval parasitoid. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 103 (2), 89-95. doi: 10.1016/j.jip.2009.11.001

Effects of an ascovirus (HvAV-3e) on diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, and evidence for virus transmission by a larval parasitoid

2010

Book Chapter

Role of MicroRNAs as regulators of host-virus interactions

Asgari, Sassan and Sullivan, Christopher S. (2010). Role of MicroRNAs as regulators of host-virus interactions. Insect Virology. (pp. 347-365) edited by Sassan Asgari and Karyn N. Johnson. Norfolk, United Kingdom: Caister Academic Press.

Role of MicroRNAs as regulators of host-virus interactions

2010

Journal Article

Functional analysis of a cellular microRNA in insect host-ascovirus interaction

Hussain, Mazher and Asgari, Sassan (2010). Functional analysis of a cellular microRNA in insect host-ascovirus interaction. Journal of Virology, 84 (1), 612-620. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01794-09

Functional analysis of a cellular microRNA in insect host-ascovirus interaction

Past funding

  • 2021 - 2024
    Viral and host RNA methylation in mosquitoes
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2022
    Exploring the effect of human blood microRNAs on mosquito biology
    United States National Institutes of Health
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2022
    A novel approach in understanding regulation of development in mosquitoes
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2018
    Advanced imaging with wide spectrum molecular, quantitative and morphological applications in biological research
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Integrative blood coagulation research core facility
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    In vitro production of Baculovirus
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Beyond genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes: high throughput analysis of gene and protein expression and function
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    Cross-kingdom communications via small non-coding RNAs
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2017
    Manipulation of regulatory microRNAs to supress insecticide resistance in the diamondback moth
    Horticulture Australia Limited
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2016
    Wolbachia and West Nile virus in mosquitoes: friends or foes?
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2012
    High Throughput Genotyping using Paralleled and Miniaturized DNA amplification.
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Role of flavivirus-encoded small regulatory RNAs in virus-mosquito vector interactions
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Targeting insects using novel inhibitors of development and physiology
    Horticulture Australia Limited
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    Cell-free immune reactions and suppression
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Regulatory cellular microRNAs and their role in insect anti-viral responses
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011
    Tooling-up non-model organisms in the post-genomic era: equipment for the analysis of molecular and cellular processes in animals of evolutionary and commercial interest
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2011
    Identification of immune-suppressors of Diamond-back Moth (HAL Grant administered by SARDI)
    South Australian Research and Development Institute
    Open grant
  • 2010
    Cell-free immune reactions and suppression (ARC Discovery grant administered by the University of Adelaide)
    University of Adelaide
    Open grant
  • 2009
    Building Capacity in Quantitative Genomics
    UQ School/Centre Co-Funding
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2009
    Investigating the potential of an ascovirus for biological control of Diamondback Moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella
    Horticulture Australia Limited
    Open grant
  • 2005
    Molecular Mechanism(s) Of Inhibition of Melanization by an Insect Parasitoid Venom Protein
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2004 - 2005
    Isolation And Characterization of Venom Proteins From An Endoparasitoid Wasp
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Sassan Asgari is:
Available for supervision

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Available projects

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Sassan Asgari directly for media enquiries about:

  • Biology - insects
  • Entomology
  • Host-parasitoid immune interactions
  • Insect immunity
  • Insect molecular biology
  • Insect parasites
  • Insect viruses
  • Insects
  • MicroRNA
  • Viruses - insect

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