Associate Professor Karyn Johnson
Associate Professor

Karyn Johnson

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 53276

Background

Invertebrate Virology

Insects are commonly infected with viruses. We study the interactions between viruses and their insect or arthropod hosts.

Viruses are obligate parasites, that is, they are completely dependent on the host cell machinery to complete their replication cycle. During infection, viruses commonly cause pathology in the host. For these reasons, viruses and hosts are in a constant evolutionary arms race. The host evolves antiviral mechanisms to prevent virus infection, while the virus adapts to overcome these host responses. Insects are ideal hosts to understand both the host response and the virus mechanisms for controlling the host.

My research group investigates the interactions between viruses and insects, primarily using Drosophila as a model. In this model we can control the genetics of both the host and the virus to tease apart the contribution of each partner to the interaction.

We discovered that a bacterium, Wolbachia, mediated antiviral protection in insects. We have several projects investigating both the mechanisms that protect the insects from virus infection and the impact of this protection on virus transmission.

Availability

Associate Professor Karyn Johnson is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Biological Sciences Invertebrate biology Microbiology Virology Zoology

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Australian National University

Research impacts

Understanding how insects respond to infection with viruses is important to develop strategies to control the spread of virus induced disease.

Search Professor Karyn Johnson’s works on UQ eSpace

76 works between 1995 and 2024
All (76) Journal Article (69) Book Chapter (4) Conference Publication (3)

1 - 20 of 76 works

Featured

2015

Journal Article

Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection in Drosophila larvae and adults following oral infection

Stevanovic, Aleksej L., Arnold, Pieter A. and Johnson, Karyn N. (2015). Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection in Drosophila larvae and adults following oral infection. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 81 (23), 8215-8223. doi: 10.1128/AEM.02841-15

Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection in Drosophila larvae and adults following oral infection

Featured

2015

Journal Article

The impact of Wolbachia on virus infection in mosquitoes

Johnson, Karyn N. (2015). The impact of Wolbachia on virus infection in mosquitoes. Viruses, 7 (11), 5705-5717. doi: 10.3390/v7112903

The impact of Wolbachia on virus infection in mosquitoes

Featured

2015

Journal Article

Infectivity of drosophila C virus following oral delivery in drosophila larvae

Stevanovic, Aleksej L. and Johnson, Karyn N. (2015). Infectivity of drosophila C virus following oral delivery in drosophila larvae. Journal of General Virology, 96 (6), 1490-1496. doi: 10.1099/vir.0.000068

Infectivity of drosophila C virus following oral delivery in drosophila larvae

Featured

2015

Journal Article

Oxidative stress correlates with Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection in Wolbachia-Drosophila associations

Wong, Zhee Sheen, Brownlie, Jeremy C and Johnson, Karyn N (2015). Oxidative stress correlates with Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection in Wolbachia-Drosophila associations. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 81 (9), 3001-3005. doi: 10.1128/AEM.03847-14

Oxidative stress correlates with Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection in Wolbachia-Drosophila associations

Featured

2015

Journal Article

Bacteria and antiviral immunity in insects

Johnson, Karyn N. (2015). Bacteria and antiviral immunity in insects. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 8 87, 97-103. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2015.01.008

Bacteria and antiviral immunity in insects

Featured

2012

Journal Article

Antiviral protection and the importance of Wolbachia density and: tissue tropism in Drosophila simulans

Osborne, Sheree E., Iturbe-Ormaetxe, Inaki, Brownlie, Jeremy C., O'Neill, Scott L. and Johnson, Karyn N. (2012). Antiviral protection and the importance of Wolbachia density and: tissue tropism in Drosophila simulans. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 78 (19), 6922-6929. doi: 10.1128/AEM.01727-12

Antiviral protection and the importance of Wolbachia density and: tissue tropism in Drosophila simulans

Featured

2009

Journal Article

Variation in Antiviral Protection Mediated by Different Wolbachia Strains in Drosophila simulans

Osborne, S.E., Leong, Y., O’Neill, S.L. and Johnson, K.N. (2009). Variation in Antiviral Protection Mediated by Different Wolbachia Strains in Drosophila simulans. PLoS Pathogens, 5 (11) e1000656, Article number e1000656. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000656

Variation in Antiviral Protection Mediated by Different Wolbachia Strains in Drosophila simulans

Featured

2008

Journal Article

Wolbachia and virus protection in insects

Hedges, Lauren M., Brownlie, Jeremy C., O'Neill, Scott L. and Johnson, Karyn N. (2008). Wolbachia and virus protection in insects. Science, 322 (5902), 702-702. doi: 10.1126/science.1162418

Wolbachia and virus protection in insects

2024

Journal Article

Effects of spontaneous mutations on survival and reproduction of <i>Drosophila serrata</i> infected with Drosophila C virus

Mendel, Bonita M, Asselin, Angelique K, Johnson, Karyn N and McGuigan, Katrina (2024). Effects of spontaneous mutations on survival and reproduction of Drosophila serrata infected with Drosophila C virus. Evolution, 78 (10), 1661-1672. doi: 10.1093/evolut/qpae101

Effects of spontaneous mutations on survival and reproduction of <i>Drosophila serrata</i> infected with Drosophila C virus

2024

Journal Article

Editorial: Frontiers in Wolbachia biology 2023

Fukatsu, Takema, Gottlieb, Yuval, Tsiamis, George, McGraw, Elizabeth, Perlman, Steve, Bouchon, Didier, Johnson, Karyn and Taylor, Mark J. (2024). Editorial: Frontiers in Wolbachia biology 2023. Frontiers in Microbiology, 15 1513314. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1513314

Editorial: Frontiers in Wolbachia biology 2023

2023

Journal Article

Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope—a Call for Rational Discourse”

Speck, Peter, Mackenzie, Jason, Bull, Rowena A., Slobedman, Barry, Drummer, Heidi, Fraser, Johanna, Herrero, Lara, Helbig, Karla, Londrigan, Sarah, Moseley, Gregory, Prow, Natalie, Hansman, Grant, Edwards, Robert, Ahlenstiel, Chantelle, Abendroth, Allison, Tscharke, David, Hobson-Peters, Jody, Kriiger-Loterio, Robson, Parry, Rhys, Marsh, Glenn, Harding, Emma, Jacques, David A., Gartner, Matthew J., Lee, Wen Shi, McAuley, Julie, Vaz, Paola, Sainsbury, Frank, Tate, Michelle D., Sinclair, Jane ... Young, Paul (2023). Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope—a Call for Rational Discourse”. mBio, 14 (3), e0081523. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00815-23

Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope—a Call for Rational Discourse”

2023

Journal Article

Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope—a Call for Rational Discourse”

Speck, Peter, Mackenzie, Jason, Bull, Rowena A., Slobedman, Barry, Drummer, Heidi, Fraser, Johanna, Herrero, Lara, Helbig, Karla, Londrigan, Sarah, Moseley, Gregory, Prow, Natalie, Hansman, Grant, Edwards, Robert, Ahlenstiel, Chantelle, Abendroth, Allison, Tscharke, David, Hobson-Peters, Jody, Kriiger-Loterio, Robson, Parry, Rhys, Marsh, Glenn, Harding, Emma, Jacques, David A., Gartner, Matthew J., Lee, Wen Shi, McAuley, Julie, Vaz, Paola, Sainsbury, Frank, Tate, Michelle D., Sinclair, Jane ... Young, Paul (2023). Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope—a Call for Rational Discourse”. Journal of Virology, 97 (5), e0045123. doi: 10.1128/jvi.00451-23

Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope—a Call for Rational Discourse”

2023

Journal Article

Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope—a Call for Rational Discourse”

Speck, Peter, Mackenzie, Jason, Bull, Rowena A., Slobedman, Barry, Drummer, Heidi, Fraser, Johanna, Herrero, Lara, Helbig, Karla, Londrigan, Sarah, Moseley, Gregory, Prow, Natalie, Hansman, Grant, Edwards, Robert, Ahlenstiel, Chantelle, Abendroth, Allison, Tscharke, David, Hobson-Peters, Jody, Kriiger-Loterio, Robson, Parry, Rhys, Marsh, Glenn, Harding, Emma, Jacques, David A., Gartner, Matthew J., Lee, Wen Shi, McAuley, Julie, Vaz, Paola, Sainsbury, Frank, Tate, Michelle D., Sinclair, Jane ... Young, Paul (2023). Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope—a Call for Rational Discourse”. mSphere, 8 (3), e0016523. doi: 10.1128/msphere.00165-23

Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope—a Call for Rational Discourse”

2023

Journal Article

Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope-a Call for Rational Discourse”

Speck, Peter, Mackenzie, Jason, Bull, Rowena A., Slobedman, Barry, Drummer, Heidi, Fraser, Johanna, Herrero, Lara, Helbig, Karla, Londrigan, Sarah, Moseley, Gregory, Prow, Natalie, Hansman, Grant, Edwards, Robert, Ahlenstiel, Chantelle, Abendroth, Allison, Tscharke, David, Hobson-Peters, Jody, Kriiger-Loterio, Robson, Parry, Rhys, Marsh, Glenn, Harding, Emma, Jacques, David A., Gartner, Matthew J., Lee, Wen Shi, McAuley, Julie, Vaz, Paola, Sainsbury, Frank, Tate, Michelle D., Sinclair, Jane ... Young, Paul (2023). Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope-a Call for Rational Discourse”. Journal of Virology, 97 (5). doi: 10.1128/jvi.00451-23

Statement in Support of: “Virology under the Microscope-a Call for Rational Discourse”

2021

Journal Article

A new dicistro-like virus from soldier fly, Inopus flavus (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), a pest of sugarcane

Asselin, Angelique K., Etebari, Kayvan, Furlong, Michael J. and Johnson, Karyn N. (2021). A new dicistro-like virus from soldier fly, Inopus flavus (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), a pest of sugarcane. Archives of Virology, 166 (10), 2841-2846. doi: 10.1007/s00705-021-05171-2

A new dicistro-like virus from soldier fly, Inopus flavus (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), a pest of sugarcane

2021

Journal Article

Physical and chemical barriers in the larval midgut confer developmental resistance to virus infection in Drosophila

Villegas-Ospina, Simon, Merritt, David J. and Johnson, Karyn N. (2021). Physical and chemical barriers in the larval midgut confer developmental resistance to virus infection in Drosophila. Viruses, 13 (5) 894, 894. doi: 10.3390/v13050894

Physical and chemical barriers in the larval midgut confer developmental resistance to virus infection in Drosophila

2020

Journal Article

Micro-RNA modulation of insect virus replication

Monsanto-Hearne, Verna and Johnson, Karyn N. (2020). Micro-RNA modulation of insect virus replication. Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 34, 61-81. doi: 10.21775/cimb.034.061

Micro-RNA modulation of insect virus replication

2019

Journal Article

Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection is cell-autonomous

Nainu, Firzan, Trenerry, Alice and Johnson, Karyn N. (2019). Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection is cell-autonomous. Journal of General Virology, 100 (11), 1587-1592. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.001342

Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection is cell-autonomous

2019

Journal Article

Drosophila melanogaster infected with Wolbachia strain wMelCS prefer cooler temperatures

Arnold, Pieter A., Levin, Samantha C., Stevanovic, Aleksej L. and Johnson, Karyn N. (2019). Drosophila melanogaster infected with Wolbachia strain wMelCS prefer cooler temperatures. Ecological Entomology, 44 (2), 287-290. doi: 10.1111/een.12696

Drosophila melanogaster infected with Wolbachia strain wMelCS prefer cooler temperatures

2019

Journal Article

Contrasting patterns of virus protection and functional incompatibility genes in two conspecific Wolbachia strains from Drosophila pandora

Asselin, Angelique K., Villegas-Ospina, Simon, Hoffmann, Ary A., Brownlie, Jeremy C. and Johnson, Karyn N. (2019). Contrasting patterns of virus protection and functional incompatibility genes in two conspecific Wolbachia strains from Drosophila pandora. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 85 (5) e02290-18. doi: 10.1128/aem.02290-18

Contrasting patterns of virus protection and functional incompatibility genes in two conspecific Wolbachia strains from Drosophila pandora

Past funding

  • 2018
    Advanced imaging with wide spectrum molecular, quantitative and morphological applications in biological research
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    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
  • 2012
    High Throughput Genotyping using Paralleled and Miniaturized DNA amplification.
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2014
    Cellular and molecular interactions of rhabdoviruses with their plant hosts and insect vectors
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2011
    Cellular and molecular interactions of rhabdoviruses with their plant hosts and insect vectors: RNA silencing suppression and cell-to-cell movement
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2012
    Understanding the mechanism of Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2009
    Building Capacity in Quantitative Genomics
    UQ School/Centre Co-Funding
    Open grant
  • 2008
    Controlled Environment Facilities for the Challenges of the 21st Century
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2007
    Fiji Disease Research Project 1
    CRC for Tropical Plant Protection
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2007
    Fiji Disease Research Project 2
    CRC for Tropical Plant Protection
    Open grant
  • 2006
    Biophysical and Genomic Characterisation of Drosophila Viruses
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2005
    Development of a genetically-tractable model for host-pathogen interactions using Drosophila melanogaster
    University of Queensland Research Development Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2004 - 2005
    Drosophila virus genomics
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Availability

Associate Professor Karyn Johnson is:
Available for supervision

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Available projects

  • Host-virus interactions

    Oppoertunities exist in my research group for enthusiastic students with a background in microbiology or genetics. Please contact me to discuss the currently available projects which are likely to include: Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection, the role of miRNAs in the host-virus interaction, molecular determinants of virus virulence or other projects using the Drosophila model to understand the host-virus interaction.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

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