Molecular Networks Controlling Dynamic Chromosome Behaviors During Development |
Our research focuses on the interplay between the structure of chromosomes and their function. Chromosomes undergo dynamic behaviors during development to ensure genome stability and accurate cell fate decisions. We study inter-related molecular networks that control diverse chromosome behaviors: chromosome counting to determine sexual fate; X-chromosome remodeling to achieve X-chromosome repression during dosage compensation, an epigenetic process; chromosome cohesion to tether and release replicated chromosomes for reducing genome copy number during germ cell formation; and chromosome compaction to control gene expression, chromosome segregation, and recombination between maternal and paternal chromosomes. We have also established robust procedures for targeted genome editing across nematode species diverged by 300 MYR to study the evolution of sex determination and dosage compensation. We combine genetic, genomic, proteomic, biochemical, and cell biological approaches to study these questions in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, a round worm, and its related nematode species. Read more.... |
Featured Science |
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Recent Publications |
Wheeler BS, Anderson E, Frøkjær-Jensen C, Bian Q, Jorgensen E, Meyer BJ. (2016) Chromosome-wide mechanisms to decouple gene expression from gene dose during sex-chromosome evolution. eLife 2016 August 30;5 [PDF] |
Crane, E., Bian, Q., McCord, R.P., Lajoie, B.R., Wheeler, B. S., Ralston, E.J., Uzawa, S., Dekker, J., Meyer, B.J. (2015) Condensin-driven remodelling of X chromosome topology during dosage compensation. Nature, 1 June 2015 doi:10.1038/nature14450 [PDF] |
Farboud, B., Meyer, B.J. (2015) Dramatic Enhancement of Genome Editing by CRISPR/Cas9 Through Improved Guide RNA Design. Genetics February 18, 2015 genetics.115.175166 [PDF] |
Severson, A., Meyer, B.J. (2014) Divergent kleisin subunits of cohesin specify mechanisms to tether and release meiotic chromosomes. eLife 2014;10.7554/eLife.03467 [PDF] |
Libuda, D., Uzawa, S., Meyer, B.J., Villeneuve, A. (2013) Meiotic chromosome structures constrain and respond to designation of crossover sites. Nature 502, 703-706 (31 October 2013) [PDF] |
Maxwell, C., Kruesi, W.S.., Core, L., Kurhanewicz, N., Waters, C., Lewarch, C., Antoshechkin, A., Lis, J., Meyer, B.J., Baugh, L.R.. (2014) Pol II Docking and Pausing at Growth and Stress Genes in C. elegans. Cell ReportsVolume 6, Issue 3, p455-466, 13 February 2014 [PDF] |
Pferdehirt, R.R., Meyer, B.J. (2013) SUMOylation is essential for sex-specific assembly and function of the Caenorhabditis elegans dosage compensation complex on X chromosomes. PNAS 2013; doi:10.1073/pnas.1315793110 [PDF] |
Lo, T.W., Pickle, C.S., Lin, S., Ralston, E.J., Gurling, M., Schartner, C.M., Bian, Q., Doudna, J.A., Meyer, B.J. (2013) Precise and Heritable Genome Editing in Evolutionarily Diverse Nematodes Using TALENs and CRISPR/Cas9 to Engineer Insertions and Deletions. Genetics 195; 331-348. [PDF] |
Kruesi, W.S., Core, L.J., Waters, C.T., Lis, J.T., Meyer, B.J. (2013) Condensin controls recruitment of RNA polymerase II to achieve nematode X-chromosome dosage compensation. eLife 2013; 2:e00808 [PDF] |
Farboud, B., Nix, P., Jow, M.M., Gladden, J.M., Meyer, B.J. (2013) Molecular antagonism between X-chromosome and autosome signals determines nematode sex. Genes & Development 27, 1159-1178. [PDF] [Supp.PDF] |
C. elegans images |
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see more images on our multimedia page |
Our lab is affiliated with Howard Hughes Medical Institute and UC Berkeley. We are in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. |
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