Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Room 121 - Lipman Hall
Phone:732.932.9763 x 121
Assistant Professor
BS in Aerospace Engineering - University at Buffalo
Ph.D. Molecular and Cellular Biology, Dartmouth College, 2001
The research in my laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular aspects of chromatin-remodeling and circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms control developmental, behavioral and physiological processes by regulating gene expression on a daily basis. Chromatin-remodeling is an integral part of transcriptional regulation and is proving to be one of the major determinants required for the proper timing and amplitude of clock-gene expression. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation and chromatin-remodeling in clock-regulated gene expression is paramount to understanding the progression of numerous diseases including cancer. My lab uses the highly-tractable model eukaryote Neurospora crassa in combination with biochemical, genetic and genome-wide studies to understand the molecular mechanisms of chromatin-remodeling in clock function.
Recent Publications
Belden, WJ. Loros, JJ and Dunlap, JC. 2008. DNA methylation and the ATP -dependent chromatin-remodeling enzyme CHD2 contribute to the epigenetic transfer of time. Under Revision, Molecular Cell.
Belden, WJ and Dunlap. JC. 2008. SIRT1 is a circadian deacetylase for core clock components. Cell 134:212-214.
Lambreghts, R. Shi, M, Belden, WJ, DeCaprio, D, Birren B, Loros, JJ and Dunlap, JC. 2008. A high-density SNP map for Neurospora crassa. Genetics. Accepted for Publication.
Belden, WJ, Larrondo, LF, Froehlich, AC, Shi, M, Chen, C, Loros, JJ and Dunlap, JC. 2007. The band mutation in Neurospora crassa is a dominant allele of ras-1 implicating ras-signaling in circadian output. Genes & Develeopment. 21:1484-1493.
Belden, WJ, Loros, JJ and Dunlap, JC. 2007. Execution of the circadian feedback loop requires the ATP-dependent remodeling enzyme CLOCKSWITCH. Molecular Cell 294:1528-1531.
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