Estes Lab at BCM

New in @JVirology: How does the human norovirus particle assemble? Particle assembly is facilitated by VP2 acting as a molecular bridge. We also share intriguing features making pandemic HuNoV VP2 unique in structure and sequence. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jv…

And another one! From: @bcmhouston blogs.bcm.edu/2026/02/05/fro…

We are excited to share a breakthrough in #Norovirus research today! Inhibiting chemokine receptor signaling enables sustained GII.3 HuNoV replication and passaging in human intestinal enteroids, read here: science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…

News report on this study: medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-m… @BCMFromtheLabs @tmcddc @ScienceAdvances

Why are #infants so vulnerable to #RSV infection? D. Nagaraj, A. Rajan @ORGAMEDLab, P Piedra, V. Avadhanula, @OrganoidDiva, @EstesLab_BCM et al found an answer. @bcmhouston @BCM_Pediatrics @BCMCME @DiscoverMag #miniNose #organoids discovermagazine.com/mini-nose-mode…

Studying human #gutBiology just got easier! The Blutt Lab, the Mancini Lab et al built a high-speed #imaging/quantification pipeline for #human intestinal #organoids—lab-grown #miniGut models. @PLOSONE tinyurl.com/y8wm4zyj @OrganoidDiva @EstesLab_BCM @BrittonTML @bcmhouston

Some human GII.4 #norovirus are better than others at infecting cells; @vijiayyar, @EstesLab_BCM, V. Prasad, R. Atmar et al found an explanation @bcmhouston @BCMDeptMedicine @PNASNews bcm.edu/news/some-huma…

Published today! 👉 pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn… Our study reveals diversity in how GII.4 human noroviruses enter intestinal cells by making distinct clusters on the cell surface and identifies key residues on the virus capsid mediating entry and clustering @PNASNews @BCMFromtheLabs

Winnie (Ngan Fung) Li et al. reveal how macrophages mount a defense against HuNoV by phagocytosing infected cells — check out our latest findings! 👇 journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mb… @NganFungLi @bcmhouston @BCMFromtheLabs @CCoarfa @OrganoidDiva @sash_ramani

Drs. V Prasad, S Kaundal, @EstesLab_BCM et al have discovered replication hubs for #human #norovirus. @ScienceAdvances @bcmhouston #biomolecularCondensates #enteroids #PositiveRNAvirus @bcm_gihep @BCMCancerCenter @CPRITTexas bcm.edu/news/researche…

@bcmhouston with support from wonderful collaborators: @allisonspeer5 @SaraDiRienzi @BrittonTML @OrganoidDiva @sash_ramani

Check out our latest publication by Dr. Ettayebi et al. reporting new insights in HuNoV cultivation in human intestinal enteroids:  journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/ms… Many unique enteroids cultures were evaluated, you may find these data useful for further optimizing HuNoV cultivation!

Don't miss Dr. M Estes's @EstesLab_BCM presentation on #MiniGuts next Monday! @bcm_gihep @BCMGradSchool @BCM_MSTP @BCM_GradDiverse @bcmhouston

Congratulations to Dr. Miranda Lewis who defended her dissertation and completed her PhD! 🥳 Next, she will be a postdoctoral researcher at MSKCC with Dr. Gretchen Diehl.

Gastrointestinal discomfort? S Crawford, Zheng Liu, @huntrsmith, @EstesLab_BCM et al found a new explanation for how #rotavirus makes you sick. #diarrhea @PNASNews @BCMGradSchool @CPRITTexas @NIH @bcm_gihep blogs.bcm.edu/2024/01/11/fro… via @bcmhouston

Check out our first Image of the Month of 2024! #Human intestinal #enteroids, courtesy of Drs. S. Crawford, H. Smith, @EstesLab_BCM. @bcm_gihep blogs.bcm.edu/2024/01/02/fro… via @bcmhouston

The loss of sucrase isomaltase, villin, NHE3, tight junction proteins (ezrin) and cell adhesion molecules (E-cadherin), leads to malabsorptive diarrhea. A similar phenotype is observed in DGAT1 knock out human intestinal organoids. (3/3)

The triacylglycerol synthesizing enzyme DGAT1 is degraded during RV infection of intestinal cells, resulting in decreased expression of key proteins involved in nutrient absorption. (2/3)

Check out this publication by co-authors Dr. Zheng Liu and Hunter Smith @huntrsmith and Dr. Sue Crawford! pnas.org/doi/abs/10.107… This shows a new pathophysiological mechanism for rotavirus (RV)-induced malabsorptive diarrhea. @BCMfromthelabs @bcm_gihep (1/3)

Congratulations to our very own Dr. Sue Crawford for receiving a Kleberg Medical Research Award today, a highly competitive grant from the Robert J. Kleberg Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation! 🎉@BCMFromtheLabs @bcmhouston