Tae Kim

Research Assistant Professor

B.S. Entomology, Texas A&M University
M.S. Entomology, Texas A&M University
Ph.D. Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences,
Texas A&M University
Email: tkim09@vet.k-state.edu

Research

My academic and research training and interest is in parasitology from vector biology to virology. The current research focus in our laboratory is to develop effective vaccines that may confer protection against African Swine Fever Virus, Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus and SARS-CoV-2. My long-term research interests and goals are focused on identifying key molecular components that parasites employ to successfully evade host defenses that could be utilized to develop novel control methods to prevent and/or control parasite infections

Selected Publications

(*co-first author)

1. Kim, T.K., Tirloni, L., Bencosme-Cuevas, E., Kim, T.H., Diedrich, J.K., Yates 3rd. J.R., Mulenga, A. (2021) Borrelia burgdorferi infection modifies protein content in saliva of Ixodes scapularis nymphs. BMC Genomics. Mar 4;22(1):152. doi: 10.1186/s12864-021-07429-0.

2. Kim, T.K.*, Tirloni, L.*, Berger, M., Diedrich, J.K., Yates, J.R. 3rd, Termignoni, C., da Silva Vaz, I., and Mulenga, A. (2020) Amblyomma americanum serpin 41 (AAS41) inhibits inflammation by targeting chymase and chymotrypsin. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 156:1007-1021. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.04.088.

3. Kim, T.K.*, Tirloni, L.*, Pinto, A.F.M., Diedrich, J.K., Moresco, J., Yates, J.R.,3rd., da Silva Vaz, I.,Jr, and Mulenga, A. (2020). Time-resolved proteomic profile of Amblyomma americanum tick saliva during feeding. PLoS Negl Trop. Dis. 14(2): e0007758.

4. Bakshi, M., Kim, T.K., Porter, L., Mwangi, W., Mulenga, A., (2019). Amblyomma americanum ticks utilizes countervailing pro and anti-inflammatory proteins to evade host defense. PLoS Pathog. 15, e1008128.

5. Tirloni, L.*, Kim, T.K.*, Berger, M., Termignoni, C., da Silva Vaz, I.,Jr, Mulenga, A., (2019). Amblyomma americanum serpin 27 (AAS27) is a tick salivary anti-inflammatory protein secreted into the host during feeding. PLoS Negl Trop. Dis. 13, e0007660.

7. Tirloni, L.*, Kim, T.K*., Pinto, A.F.M., Yates, J.R.,3rd., da Silva Vaz, I.,Jr., and Mulenga, A. (2017). Tick host range adaptation: protein profiles in Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum saliva changes when stimulated to feed on different hosts. Front. Cell Infect. Microbiol. 71, 12-28

8. Kim, T.K.*, Tirloni, L.*, Pinto, A.F., Moresco, J., Yates, J.R.,3rd., da Silva Vaz, I.,Jr, and Mulenga, A. (2016). Ixodes scapularis tick saliva proteins sequentially secreted every 24 h during blood feeding. PLoS Negl Trop. Dis. 10, e0004323.

9. Kim, T.K.*, Tirloni, L.*, Radulovic, Z., Lewis, L., Bakshi, M., Hill, C., da Silva Vaz, I.,Jr, Logullo, C., Termignoni, C., Mulenga, A., (2015). Conserved Amblyomma americanum tick Serpin19, an inhibitor of blood clotting factors Xa and XIa, trypsin and plasmin, has anti-haemostatic functions. Int. J. Parasitol. 45, 613-627.

10. Kim, T.K., Curran, J., and Mulenga, A. Dual silencing of two Amblyomma americanum acidic chitinase isoforms affects tick cement cone stability. (2014). J. Exp. Biol. 217, 3493-3503.