Department of Medicine/Section of Hematology/Oncology
Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology
Department of Human Genetics
Committee on Cancer Biology
Committee on Genetics
Committee on Molecular Medicine
The Cancer Research Center
Fax: (773) 702-3002
Research Description
My laboratory is analyzing the genetic consequences of the recurring chromosome abnormalities seen in human leukemia cells. Initially we focused on cloning new genes at translocation breakpoints and investigated how the chromosome rearrangements altered the structure of the genes and how this in turn alters the structure and function of the proteins. More recently, we have focused on patterns of gene expression in human acute leukemia of both the lymphoid and myeloid leukemias. First we studied the expression levels of poly A plus RNA using Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE). This was expanded to custom microarrays and more recently we have investigated the expression patterns of microRNAs (miR). We have analyzed correlation of the expression patterns of mRNA and microRNA to identify miR targets and to determine the regulation of miR expression.
Selected Publications
Identification of a 24-Gene Prognostic Signature That Improves the European LeukemiaNet Risk Classification of Acute Myeloid Leukemia: An International Collaborative Study.
(Mar 2013) Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology 31(9):1172-81 PMID:23382473 (Full Text)
Critical role of miR-9 in myelopoiesis and EVI1-induced leukemogenesis.
(Mar 2013) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America PMID:23509296
PBX3 is an important cofactor of HOXA9 in leukemogenesis.
(Feb 2013) Blood 121(8):1422-31 PMID:23264595 (Full Text)
MiR-495 is a tumor-suppressor microRNA down-regulated in MLL-rearranged leukemia.
(Nov 2012) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109(47):19397-402 PMID:23132946 (Full Text)
Two isoforms of HOXA9 function differently but work synergistically in human MLL-rearranged leukemia.
(Aug 2012) Blood cells, molecules & diseases 49(2):102-6 PMID:22633751 (Full Text)
Up-regulation of a HOXA-PBX3 homeobox-gene signature following down-regulation of miR-181 is associated with adverse prognosis in patients with cytogenetically abnormal AML.
(Mar 2012) Blood 119(10):2314-24 PMID:22251480 (Full Text)
New fusion transcripts identified in normal karyotype acute myeloid leukemia.
(2012) PloS one 7(12):e51203 PMID:23251452 (Full Text)
Distinct microRNA expression profiles in acute myeloid leukemia with common translocations.
(Oct 2008) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 105(40):15535-40 PMID:18832181 (Full Text)
MicroRNA expression signatures accurately discriminate acute lymphoblastic leukemia from acute myeloid leukemia.
(Dec 2007) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 104(50):19971-6 PMID:18056805 (Full Text)
Chromatin structural elements and chromosomal translocations in leukemia.
(Sep 2006) DNA repair 5(9-10):1282-97 PMID:16893685
Gene expression profiles in acute myeloid leukemia with common translocations using SAGE.
(Jan 2006) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 103(4):1030-5 PMID:16418266 (Full Text)
Local gene density predicts the spatial position of genetic loci in the interphase nucleus.
(Nov 2005) Experimental cell research 311(1):14-26 PMID:16202404

