Helen Chamberlin

Focus

Organogenesis and cell fate specification during development. Developmental regulation of transcription.

Research interests

Our work focuses on understanding the molecular processes underlying organogenesis. Organs are an important functional level of organization for cells within animals. Within an organ, cells of different types coordinate their development, and proper development is critical for normal function. In humans, defects in organ development underlie a variety of birth defects, and mutations in genes important for normal organogenesis are associated with tumors. Thus, understanding fundamental aspects of organogenesis can provide insight into human disease. Important questions in organogenesis include 1) what processes and molecules make cells within an organ different from each other, and 2) what makes cells within an organ different from other cells in the animal.

 

Publications

• Armstrong, K.R. and Chamberlin, H.M. (2010) Coordinate regulation of gene expression in the C. elegans excretory cell by the POU domain protein CEH-6. Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 283, 73-87.
• Li, X., Kulkarni, R.P., Hill, R.J., and Chamberlin, H.M. (2009) HOM-C genes, Wnt signaling and axial patterning in the C. elegans posterior ventral epidermis. Developmental Biology, 332, 156-165.
• Johnson, R.W., Liu, L., Hanna-Rose, W. and Chamberlin, H.M. (2009) The C. elegans heterochronic gene lin-14 coordinates temporal progression and maturation in the egg-laying system. Developmental Dynamics, 238, 394-404.
• Johnson, R.W. and Chamberlin, H.M. (2008) Positive and negative regulatory inputs restrict pax-6/vab-3 transcription to sensory organ precursors in C. elegans. Mechanisms of Development, 125, 486-497.
• Tseng, R.-J., Armstrong, K.R., Wang, X. and Chamberlin, H.M. (2007) The bromodomain protein LEX-1 acts with TAM-1 to modulate gene expression in C. elegans. Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 278, 507-518.
• Rajakumar, V. and Chamberlin, H.M. (2007) The Pax2/5/8 protein EGL-38 plays multiple roles to coordinate organogenesis of the C. elegans egg-laying system. Developmental Biology, 301, 240-253.
• Park, D., Jia, H., Rajakumar, V. and Chamberlin, H.M. (2006) Pax2/5/8 proteins promote cell survival in C. elegans. Development, 133, 4293-4302.
• Wang, X., Jia, H. and Chamberlin, H.M. (2006) The bZip proteins CES-2 and ATF-2 alter the timing of transcription for a cell-specific target gene in C. elegans. Developmental Biology, 289, 456-465.