Gene Expression in Development and Disease Focus Group

MSU Symposium on Transcriptional Regulation
and Systems Biology

Scientists collaborating on GEDD research

	Dave Arnosti We are interested in the function of transcriptional switches in the development of higher organisms. Our focus has been the action of short-range transcriptional repressors and corepressors that are critical for embryonic patterning in Drosophila. Together with the Bill Henry lab, we are also studying the action of tumor suppressor Retinoblastoma proteins, which play important roles in cell cycle regulation and development.
	C. Titus Brown We combine experimental and computational approaches to study how regulation of gene expression drives development and physiology. Our interests include chick neural crest development, regulatory genomics, large-scale data integration, and computational tool development.
	Zachary Burton Function of RNA Pol II basal machinery; TFIIF structure and function.
	Christina Chan We take a Systems Biology approach to understanding disease mechanisms and to uncover novel pathways or targets that may serve as potential candidates for drug development. Systems biology is the integration and application of mathematics, statistics, engineering, physics, and computer science to understand transcriptional regulatory networks, and how they are perturbed in development and disease. More recently, we have embarked on developing delivery systems to target these pathways that our group has identified.
	Ian Dworkin Genetic and genomic approaches to the study of phenotypic variation and the evolution of developmental systems.
	Michele Fluck We are studying cancer progression in transgenic mice that express an oncoprotein in the mammary gland and develop tumors that uniquely recapitulate the steps of progression observed in breast cancer. We are concentrating on the role of two families of transcription factors, Ap-1 and Ets, which control many progression-associated genes. We examine changes in the overall joint activity of these factors and the expression of key progression-associated genes. Our focus is on transcriptional and post-transcriptional changes in Ap-1 and Ets, including transcriptional switching and conversion from repressor to activator.
	Jim Geiger Structural biology of transcriptional machinery
	William Henry Regulation of RNA Pol III transcription by retinoblastoma tumor suppressor and p53. Structure and funciton of PolIII basal factors.
	Laurie S. Kaguni Structure, function and regulation of genes and proteins in mitochondrial biogenesis; Drosophila models of human mitochondrial disease.
	Lee Kroos We study signaling and gene regulatory mechanisms during bacterial development. The model organisms we use allow a powerful combination of genetic and biochemical approaches. In Bacillus subtilis, we are investigating proteolytic processing of pro-sigma factors, the roles of feedback loops in the regulatory network, and the mechanism of transcriptional activation by SpoIIID. In Myxococcus xanthus, we want to understand how short-range C-signaling between cells regulates gene expression and cell behavior during multicellular development.
	Min-Hao Kuo Our research focuses on (1) chromatin dynamics, including histone modifications, gene regulation, and mitotic progression, and (2) proteomic investigation of kinase sumoylation in yeast and mammalian systems. In collaboration with the Henry lab, we also are analyzing the structure-function relationship of a tumor suppressor protein, p53.
	John LaPres The laboratory is interested in understanding the relationship between environmental cues and cell survival. More specifically, we are interested in the role of two transcription factors, hypoxia inducible factor 1 a (HIF1 a ) and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), in sensing available oxygen and environmental pollutants, respectively. We are attempting to establish comprehensive signaling networks for each of these proteins and link their activity to cell survival. Finally, the lab is in the process of creating various in vivo and in vitro models to help our understanding of how HIF1 a and the AHR might influence development and the initiation and progression of diseases, such as cancer.
	Mark Robinson is a postdoctoral fellow working with the Kroos lab. He is interested in developmental gene regulatory networks and their evolution. Currently, he is applying both experimental and computational approaches to genome-wide binding site prediction for two key transcription factors involved in M. xanthus development. He is also using comparative approaches to explore cis-regulatory evolution in the promoter of the dev operon.
	Alex Shingleton We study how gene expression and physiology interact to regulate body and organ size in animals. In particular, we are interested in the role played by the insulin-signaling pathway in the nutritional regulation of growth and development, using Drosophila as a model organism. We hope to understand how animals grow to produce correctly proportioned integrated organs, why this process goes wrong, and how this process can evolve.
	Shin-Han Shiu Our research focuses on areas of comparative and evolutionary genomics. We are particularly interested in the stress regulatory evolution and expression divergence among duplicate genes in plants and fungi.
	Michael Thomashow Transcriptional regulatory networks and gene modules involved in plant responses to low temperature and other abiotic stresses
	Steven J. Triezenberg Mechanisms of transcriptional activation in eukaryotes. Chromatin modification by transcriptional coactivators. Herpes simplex virus infection. Plant responses to abiotic stress.
	Steve Vannocker We are studying the mechanisms by which states of gene activity are propagated within and across mitotic boundaries, specifically in relation to chromatin-associated proteins and modifications of DNA and histones. As a model, we are focusing on the activation and repression of genes associated with vegetative growth or flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana.
	Barry Williams We are interested in demonstrating, at the molecular level, the evolutionary forces that lead to diversification and stasis of regulatory elements, as well as their resultant phenotypic effects.
	Hua Xiao We are interested in the regulatory mechanisms and signal transduction pathways pertaining to gene expression and tumorigenesis. The on-going and proposed studies involve identification and characterization of cellular factors that regulate transcription of genes important for regulation of tumor suppression, with emphasis on the mechanisms and roles of a newly identified tumor suppressor TIP30 and its associated factors in breast and liver cancers.
	Timothy Zacharewski Our focus is on mechanistic toxicology, which involves elucidating how synthetic and natural chemicals elicit adverse effects. We use an integrated approach that includes in silico (bioinformatics), in vitro and in vivo models.

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