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

• Li Z, Lu J, Sun M, Mi S, Zhang H, Luo RT, Chen P, Wang Y, Yan M, Qian Z, Neilly MB, Jin J, Zhang Y, Bohlander SK, Zhang DE, Larson RA, Le Beau MM, Thirman MJ, Golub TR, Rowley JD, Chen J. Distinct microRNA expression profiles in acute myeloid leukemia with common translocations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 105(40):15535-40, 2008.
• Mi S, Lu J, Sun M, Li Z, Zhang H, Neilly MB, Wang Y, Qian Z, Jin J, Zhang Y, Bohlander SK, LeBeau MM, Larson RA, Golub TR, Rowley JD, and Chen J. MicroRNA expression signatures accurately discriminate acute lymphoblastic leukemia from acute myeloid leukemia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 104(50):19971-6, 2007.
• Zhang Y, Rowley JD. Chromatin structural elements and chromosomal translocations in leukemia DNA Repair, 5(9-10): 1282-97, 2006.
• Lee S, Chen J, Zhou G, Shi R, Bouffard G, Kocherginsky M, Ge X, Sun M, Jayathilaka N, Kim Y, Emmanuel N, Bohlander S, Minden M, Kline J, Ozer O, Larson R, LeBeau M, Green E, Trent J, Karrison T, Liu P, Wang SM, Rowley JD. Gene Expression Profiles in Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Common Translocations using SAGE Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 103(4): 1030-5, 2006.
• Murmann AE, Gao J, Encinosa M, Gautier M, Peter ME, Eils R, Rowley JD. Local gene density predicts the spatial position of genetic loci in the interphase nucleus. Experimental Cell Research, 311(1): 14-26, 2005.