 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Joined the Department in 1997 Associations: Center for Biological Clocks Research, Genetics, Chemical Biology Interface, Program for the Biology of Filamentous Fungi, Program in Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Undergraduate Biology Math Program |
Deborah Bell-Pedersen 3258 TAMU Office: Lab: Fax: 979-845-2891 |
| Circadian Rhythms in the development of spores in the fungus Neurospora crassa
To understand the clock, Dr. Bell-Pedersen’s lab uses modern molecular, biochemical, genetic, and genomic tools to investigate the mechanisms by which the clock regulates rhythmicity in the simple model organism Neurospora crassa. Her group discovered that the clock regulates a major signaling pathway in fungi. This same signaling pathway is present in humans and involved in stress responses, immune activity, and cancer. This regulation provides a rationale for observations that deregulation of the clock contributes to cancer and suggests new opportunities for treatment.
|
|
|
Vitalini, M, dePaula, R, Goldsmith, C, Jones, C, Borkovich, K, and Bell-Pedersen, D (2007) Circadian rhythmicity mediated by temporal regulation of the activity of a p38 MAPK. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 104:18223-8. dePaula, RM., Vitalini, MW, Gomer, RH, and Bell-Pedersen, D (2007) Complexity of the Neurospora crassa circadian clock system: Mulitple loops and oscillators. Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology: Clocks and Rhythms, Volume 72. Beasley, AK, Lamb, TM, Versaw, WK, and Bell-Pedersen D. (2007) A ras-1bd Mauriceville strain for mapping mutations in Oak Ridge ras-1bd strains. Fungal Genetics Newsletter 54. Vitalini, M., dePaula, R., Park, W.D., Bell-Pedersen, D. (2006) The rhythms of life: circadian output pathways in Neurospora. J Biol. Rhythms 21: 432-444. Liu, Y. and Bell-Pedersen, D. (2006) Circadian rhythms in Neurospora and other filamentous fungi. Euk Cell. 5: 1184-1193. de Paula, R., Lewis, Z.L., Greene, A.V., Seo, K.S., Vitalini, M., Morgan, L., Bennett, L., Gomer, R.H., and Bell-Pedersen, D. (2006) Two circadian timing circuits in Neurospora crassa cells share components and regulate distinct rhythmic processes. J. Biol. Rhythms 21:159-68. Galagan, JE, Calvo SE, Cuomo C, Ma L-J, Wortman, J, Batzoglou S, Lee S-I, Bastürkmen M, Spevak CC, Clutterbuck J, Kapitonov V, Jurka J,Scazzocchio C, Farmam, M, Butler , J, Purcell S, Harris S, Braus GH, Draht O, Busch S, D'Enfert C, Bouchier , C, Goldman GH, Bell-Pedersen D, et al. (2005) Sequencing of Aspergillus nidulans and Comparative Analysis with A. fumigatus and A. oryzae Nature 438: 1105-1115. Bell-Pedersen, D, Cassone, VM, Earnest, DJ, Golden SS, Hardin, PE, Thomas TL, Zoran, MJ (2005) Circadian rhythms from multiple oscillators: lessons from diverse organisms. Nat Rev Genet. 6:544-556. Pregueiro AM, Price-Lloyd, N., Bell-Pedersen, D, Heintzen, C, Loros, JJ, Dunlap, JC (2005) Assignment of an essential role for the Neurospora frequency gene in circadian entrainment to temperature cycles. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci, USA 102:2210-2215. Xie X, Wilkinson HH, Correa A, Lewis ZA, Bell-Pedersen D, Ebbole DJ. (2004) Transcriptional response to glucose starvation and functional analysis of a glucose transporter of Neurospora crassa. Fungal Genet. Biol. 41:1104-1119. Allen GC, Farnell Y, Bell-Pedersen D, Cassone VM, Earnest DJ.(2004) Effects of altered Clock gene expression on the pacemaker properties of SCN2.2 cells and oscillatory properties of NIH/3T3 cells. Neuroscience. 127: 989-999. Vitalini, M., Morgan, L., March, I.J., and Bell-Pedersen, D. (2004) A genetic selection for circadian output pathway (cop) mutations in Neurospora crassa. Genetics. 167: 119-129 . Correa, A. Lewis, Z.A, Greene, A.V., March I.J., and Bell-Pedersen, D. (2003) Microarray profiling reveals multiple oscillators regulate circadian gene expression in Neurospora. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100(23):13597-602. Galagan, J., Calvo, S.E., Borkovich, K.. Selker, E., Read, N., FitzHugh W., Ma, L-M., Smirnov S., Purcell , S., Rehman , B, Elkins,T. Engels,R., Wang, S., Nielsen, C.B., Roy, A., Ianakiev, P., Davis, R., Nelson, MA, Werner-Washburne, M., Mewes, W., Kinsey, J., Braun, E., Zelter, A., Shulte U., Kothe, G., Jedd, G., Bell-Pedersen, D., et al. (2003) The Genome Sequence of the Filamentous Fungus Neurospora crassa Nature 422: 859-869. Greene, A. V., Keller, N., Haas, H., and Bell-Pedersen, D. (2003) A circadian oscillator in Aspergillus spp. regulates daily development and gene expression Euk. Cell 2: 231-237. Lewis, Z.A., Correa, A., Schwerdtfeger, C., Link, K., Xie, X., Gomer, R., Thomas,T., Ebbole, D. and Bell-Pedersen, D. (2002) Overexpression of WHITE COLLAR-1 (WC-1) activates circadian clock-associated genes, but is not sufficient to induce most light-regulated gene expression in Neurospora crassa . Mol. Micro 45: 917-931. Bobrowicz, P. Pawlak, R., Correa, A., Bell-Pedersen,D., and Ebbole, D. (2002) The Neurospora crassa pheromone precursor genes are regulated by the mating type locus and the circadian clock. Mol. Micro. 45: 795-804. Correa A., and Bell-Pedersen, D. (2002) Distinct signaling pathways from the circadian clock participate to regulate rhythmic conidiospore development in Neurospora crassa . Euk. Cell 1: 273-280. Shrode, L., Lewis, Z.A., White, L.C., Bell-Pedersen, D., Ebbole, D.J. (2001) vvd is required for light adaptation of conidiation-specific genes of Neurospora crassa , but not circadian conidiation. Fungal Genet. Biol. 32: 169-181. Bell-Pedersen, D., Lewis, Z.A., Loros, J.J., and Dunlap, J.C. (2001) The Neurospora circadian clock regulates a transcription factor that controls rhythmic expression of the output eas(ccg-2) gene. Mol. Micr. 41: 897-909. Morgan, L. Feldman, J., and Bell-Pedersen, D. (2001) Genetic interactions between clock mutations in N. crassa : can they help us to understand complexity. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. 356: 1717-1724. |
One of the most fascinating aspects of life on earth is that most organisms contain a high-precision clock that allows them to prepare for the opportunities and challenges of sunrise and sunset. Because of the widespread influence of the clock on human biology, defects of the clock are associated with sleep disorders, and for unknown reasons epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, headaches, cardiovascular malfunction, and cancer. In addition, daily changes in metabolism and cell division rates influence the efficacy and toxicity of many pharmaceuticals, including cancer drugs. Therefore, knowing how clocks work and what they regulate at the molecular level is important for the development of new ways to improve human health. 