Director's Corner

Education and Training

Magnus Höök (b.1946) earned a B.S. in biochemistry and Ph.D. in medical chemistry at the University of Uppsala, Sweden. He was an associate professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences before moving to the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1980. There he rose to hold professorial positions in biochemistry, microbiology, and cell biology and was an associate professor of ophthamology. In 1992 Dr. Höök joined IBT as the director of the Center for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases and a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Texas A&M University. Dr. Höök is an adjunct professor in the Departments of Cell Biology at Baylor College of Medicine and also in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He is a faculty member of University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Research Interests

The research in our laboratory is focused on determining the molecular pathogenesis of infections and inflammatory diseases. We are interested in two key areas in the pathogenic process; microbial adherence to host tissue and microbial evasion of host defense systems. We seek to identify the molecules involved in these processes, characterize the interactions in submolecular detail using detailed biochemical methods, and articulate molecular hypotheses describing the disease process. These hypotheses are then evaluated in model systems and compared to the clinical findings in human disease. Ultimately, we seek to translate our research findings into new or improved strategies to prevent and treat infectious diseases.

Selected Publications

1. Humtsoe, J.O., Kim, J.K., Xu, Y., Keene, D.R., Höök, M., Lukomski, S., Wary, K.K. (2005) "A streptococcal collagen-like protein interacts with the a 2 b 1 integrin and induces intracellular signaling" J. Biol. Chem . 280 :13848-13857. Epub 2005 Jan 12.
2. Raibaud, S., Schwarz-Linek, U., Kim, J.H., Jenkins, H.T., Baines, E.R., Gurusidappa, S., Höök, M., Potts, J.R. (2005) “Borrelia Burgdorferi binds fibronectin through a tandem beta zipper- a common mechanism” J. Biol. Chem., May 13;280(19):18803-9. Epub 2005 Feb 28
3. Shirasawa, S., Yoshimi, M., Kamochi, H., Muneta, T., Kimura, J.H., Höök, M., Shinomura, T. (2005) “Gene trap screening for cell surface and extracellular matrix molecules produced by chondrocytes” J. Biochem. ( Tokyo), 137:79-85.  
4. Brown, E.L., Kim, J.H., Reisenbichler, E.S., Höök, M. (2005) “Multicomponent Lyme Vaccine: Three is not a crowd” Elsevier Vaccine 23, 2687-3696.
5. Bowden, M.G., Chen, W., Singvall, J., Xu Y., Peacock, S.J., Valtulina, V., Speziale, P., Höök, M. (2005) “Identification and preliminary characterization of cell-wall-anchored proteins of Staphylococcus epidermidis” Microbiol. 151:1453-1464.
6. Kim, J.K., Xu, Y., Xu, X., Keene, D.R., Gurusiddappa, S., Siang, X., Wary, K.K., Höök, M. (2005) “A novel binding site in collagen type III for integrins a 1 b 1 and a 2 b 1 ” J. Biol. Chem. 280:32512-32520.
7. Seo NS, Hocking AM, Höök, M., McQuillan DJ, (2005) “ Decorin core protein secretion is regulated by N-linked oligosaccharide and glycosaminoglycan additions.”J. Biol. Chem 2 005 Dec 30;280(52):42774-84. Epub 2005 Oct 28.
8. Chen, C., Yeh, M., Geyer, M., Wang, G., Huang, M., Heggeness, M., Höök, M., Luo, Z. (2006) “Interactions between collagen IX and biglycan measured by atomic force microscopy” Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. Jan 6;339(1):204-8. Epub 2005 Nov 10
9. Zong Y, Xu Y, Liang X, Keene DR, Hook A, Gurusiddappa S, Höök, M , Narayana SV (2006) “A ‘Collagen Hug’ model for Staphylococcus aureus CNA binding to collagen” EMBO 2006 Feb 22:25(4):921.
10. Steiglitz, M.M., Kreider, J.M., Frankenburg, E.P., Pappano, W.N., Hoffman, G.G., Meganck, J.A., Liang, X., Höök M, Birk, D.E., Goldstein, S.A., Greenspan, D.S. (2006) “Procollagen C Proteinase Enhancer 1 Genes are important determinants of the mechanical properties and geometry of bone and the ultrastructure of connective tissues” Mol. Cell. Biol. 26:238-249.
11. Seo NS , McQuillan DJ, Höök, M. (2006) “ The role of glycosylation in the secretion of proteoglycans” Scientific World JournalApr 18;6:491-3
12. Han R, Zwiefka A, Caswell CC, Xu Y, Keene DR, Lukomska E, Zhao Z, Höök M, Lukomski S (2006) “ Assessment of prokaryotic collagen-like sequences derived from streptococcal Scl1 and Scl2 proteins as a source of recombinant GXY polymers.” Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. Aug;72(1):109-15
13. Seshu J, Esteve-Gassent MD, Labandeira-Rey M, Kim JH, Trzeciakowski JP, Höök M, Skare JT. (2006) “ Inactivation of the fibronectin-binding adhesin gene bbk32 significantly attenuates the infectivity potential of Borrelia burgdorferi.” Mol Microbiol. 2006 Mar;59(5):1591-601.
14. Shinomura T, Ito K, Kimura JH, Höök M (2006) “ Screening for genes preferentially expressed in the early phase of chondrogenesis.” Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2006 Mar 3;341(1):167-74. Epub 2006 Jan 6.
15. Schwarz-Linek U, Höök M, Potts JR (2006) “Fibronectin-binding proteins of Gram-positive cocci” Microbes Infect July ;8(8):2291-8
16. Sullivan, MM, Barker TH, Funk SE, Karchin A, Seo NS, Höök M, Sanders J, Starcher B, Wight TN, Puolakkainen PA, Sage EH (2006) “Matricellular hevin regulates decorin production and collagen assembly” J Biol Chem Sep 15;281(37):27621-32
17. Rafii MS, Hagiwara H, Mercado ML, Seo NS, Xu T, Dugan T, Owens RT, Höök M, McQuillan DJ, Young, MF, Fallon JR (2006) “Biglycan binds to alpha- and gamma-sarcoglycan and regulates their expression during development” J Cell Physiol Nov; 209(2):439-47.
18. Jarvelainen H, Puolakkainen P, Pakkanen S, Brown EL, Höök M, Iozzo RV, Sage EH, Wight TN (2006) “A role for decorin in cutaneous wound healing and angiogenesis” Wound Repair Regen. 2006 Jul-Aug;14(4):443-52
19. Nallapareddy SR, Singh KV, Sillanpaa J, Garsin DA, Höök M, Erlandsen SL, Murray BE (2006) “Endocarditis and biofilm-associated pili of Enterococcus faecalis” J Clin Invest 2006 Oct;116(10):2799-807
20. Dugan TA, Yang VW, McQuillan DJ, Höök M (2006) “Decorin modulates fibrin assembly and structure” J Biol Chem 2006 Dec 15;281(50):38208-16
21. Massey RC, Horsburgh MJ, Lina G, Höök M, Recker M (2006) “The evolution and maintenance of virulence in Staphylococcus aureus: a role for host-to-host transmission?” Nat Rev Microbiol 2006 Dec;4(12):953-8
22. Labandeira-Rey M, Couzon R, Biosset S, Brown EL, Bes M, Benito Y, Barbu EM, Vazquez V, Höök M, Etienne J, Vandenesch F, Bowden MG (2007) “Staphylococcus aureus Panton Valentine Leukocidin Causes Necrotizing Pneumonia” Science 2007 Jan18; [Epub ahead of print]

Complete Publication List