RNA and Disease
.jpg?sfvrsn=8dd283b9_0 "David Bentley in his lab (750 x 500)")
The
RNA and Disease Group within the RNA Bioscience Initiative identifies and defines the contribution of RNA to disease, focusing on viral diseases, neurodegenerative and other hereditary disorders, developmental abnormalities, auto-immune diseases,
and cancer.
The ways in which RNA can impact human disease are vast and complex. Research to date has only touched on the most accessible of these connections, but new technologies are rapidly expanding our knowledge in this area. The most immediate connection one makes when thinking about RNA and Disease is that of human-infective pathogenic RNA viruses, including influenza, measles, polio, hepatitis C, HIV, SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, and many, many others.
Nonetheless, because RNA plays an essential role in many cellular processes, disruption of RNA processing and maturation, e.g., errors in splicing, tRNA and rRNA maturation, and other aspects of RNA metabolism, also result in human disease. In addition, dysregulation of non-coding RNA-based regulatory networks that direct normal tissue development and homeostasis has been increasingly implicated in chronic illness and cancer.
Faculty Participants
| FACULTY | RESEARCH | |
| Scott Alper, PhD | alpers@njhealth.org | Regulation of alternative pre-mRNA splicing in the TLR pathway to limit inflammation |
| Tom Anchordoquy, PhD | tom.anchordoquy@cuanschutz.edu | Milk exosomes as a delivery mechanism for therapeutics (peptides, proteins, DNA, RNA) |
| Steven Anderson, PhD | steve.anderson@ucdenver.edu | Molecular basis of altered tumor metabolism |
| Bruce Appel, PhD | bruce.appel@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular basis of white matter deficits in brain development and disease |
| David Barton, PhD | david.barton@cuanschutz.edu | Investigation of host-pathogen interactions involving viral RNA and endoribonucleases |
| Richard Benninger, PhD | richard.benninger@cuanaschutz.edu | Islet dysfunction in Type1 and Type2 diabetes |
| David Bentley, PhD | david.bentley@cuanschutz.edu | Mechanisms by which mRNA production in cancer cells becomes corrupted by abnormal coupling of transcription with chromatin modification, splicing, and mRNA 3' end formation |
| Joshua Black, PhD | joshua.c.black@cuanschutz.edu | Genome instability, chromosomal structural aberrations, and copy number variation in cancer |
| Matthew Burchill, PhD | matthew.burchill@cuanschutz.edu | Characterization of altered transcriptional profiles in lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) in chronic liver disease |
| Eric Clambey, PhD | eric.clambey@cuanschutz.edu | Investigation of non-coding RNAs in gammaherpesvirus infection |
| Adela Cota-Gomez, PhD | adela.cota-gomez@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular mechanisms of HIV-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension |
| Howard Davidson, PhD | howard.davidson@cuanschutz.edu | Investigation of transcriptional and translational re-programming of beta cells in type 1A diabetes |
| Patricia Ernst, PhD | patricia.ernst@cuanschutz.edu | Dysregulation of transcriptional networks in leukemia |
| Katherine Fantauzzo, PhD | katherine.fantauzzo@cuanschutz.edu | Characterization of how PDGFRalpha signaling regulates the activity of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to generate the protein isoforms necessary for craniofacial development |
| Megan Filbin, PhD | mfilbin1@msudenver.edu | Structure-function analysis of viral RNA translation |
| Heide Ford, PhD | heide.ford@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular mechanisms of tumor metastasis; dysregulation of developmental transcription factors in tumor progression |
| Austin Gillen, PhD | austingillen@gmail.com | RNA processing in cancer |
| Berenice Gitomer, PhD | berenice.gitomer@cuanschutz.edu | miRNAs as biomarkers for kidney disease |
| Kirk Hansen, PhD | kirk.hansen@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular investigation of tissue remodeling in wound healing, aging, cancer and fibrotic diseases |
| Jay Hesselberth, PhD | jay.hesselberth@cuanschutz.edu | Development of new molecular and computational methods to advance single-cell analysis, including approaches to measure biochemical activities, to understand molecular dissemination in vivo, and to improve the analysis of cell-type-specific gene expression patterns |
| Joan Hooper, PhD | joan.hooper@cuanschutz.edu | MicroRNA profiling in craniofacial development |
| Elena Hsieh, MD | elena.hsieh@cuanzchutz.edu | Molecular mechanisms of immune disorders, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), and others |
| Ethan Hughes, PhD | ethan.hughes@cuanschutz.edu | The effects of motor learning on cortical oligodendrogenesis in health and disease |
| Sujatha Jagannathan, PhD | sujatha.jagannathan@cuanschutz.edu | mRNA surveillance in health and disease, particularly human muscular dystrophy |
| Aaron Johnson, PhD | aaron.m.johnson@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular mechanisms of RNA-mediated epigenetic gene regulation in normal biology and metastatic breast cancer |
| Peter Kabos, MD | peter.kabos@cuanschutz.edu | Regulation of anti-endocrine resistance of breast cancer by a network of non-coding RNAs |
| Melanie Koenigshoff, MD, PhD | melanie.koenigshoff@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular mechanisms of distal lung epithelial stem cell impairment in COPD |
| Laurel Lenz, PhD | laurel.lenz@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular regulation of NK cell activity during bacterial infection |
| Hong Li, PhD | hong.li@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular mechanisms of aberrant craniofacial development |
| Traci Lyons, PhD | traci.lyons@cuanschutz.edu | Mechanisms of therapeutic resistance and metastasis driven by pregnancy induced changes in gene and protein expression during mammary gland development |
| Martin McCarter, MD | martin.mccarter@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular characterization of tumor infiltrating myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in human melanoma |
| Michael McMurray, PhD | michael.mcmurray@ucdenver.edu | Defining the maternal contribution of RNAs in yeast gametes |
| Tem Morrison, PhD | thomas.morrison@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular pathogenesis of mosquito-transmitted RNA viruses |
| Christian Mosimann, PhD | christian.mosimann@cuanschutz.edu | Cell fate control in development and disease |
| Kathryn Mouzakis, PhD | kathryn.mouzakis@lmu.edu | The effect of programmed ribosomal frameshift in viral infection and disease |
| Neelanjan Mukherjee, PhD | neelnajan.mukherjee@cuanschutz.edu | Mechanisms by which RNA binding proteins (RBPs) and long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) regulate human steroid production |
| James Nichols, PhD | james.nichols@cuanschutz.edu | Transcriptomic comparisons of zebrafish mef2ca mutants to determine the role of this transcription factor in development |
| Lee Niswander, PhD | lee.niswander@colorado.edu | lncRNAs in development |
| Eva Nozik, MD | eva.nozik@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular mechanisms of redox regulation of alveolar macrophage populations in acute lung injury |
| Chad Pearson, PhD | chad.pearson@cuanschutz.edu | Identifying centriolar RNAs in fundamental centrosomal processes and human disease |
| Eric Pietras, PhD | eric.pietras@cuanschutz.edu | RNA splicing alterations in myelodysplasia |
| Rytis Prekeris, PhD | rytis.prekeris@ucdenver.edu | Molecular regulation of breast cancer metastasis |
| Tania Reis, PhD | tania.reis@cuanschutz.edu | Regulation of fat storage by conserved RNA-binding proteins Spen and Nito in obesity |
| Marino Resendiz, PhD | marino.resendiz@ucdenver.edu | Disease as a function of oxidative damage to non-coding RNAs |
| Diego Restrepo, PhD | diego.restrepo@cuanschutz.edu | Differential expression of olfactory receptors for semiochemical detection |
| Jennifer Richer, PhD | jennifer.richer@cuanschutz.edu | Investigation of non-coding RNAs that control oncogenic epithelial to mesenchymal transition and facilitate tumor metastasis |
| Olivia Rissland, PhD | olivia.rissland@gmail.com | COVID genomic sequencing and tracking |
| Mario Santiago, PhD | mario.santiago@cuanschutz.edu | Interplay between innate retroviral restriction and adaptive immunity, with a conceptual focus on HIV vaccine development |
| Stephen Santoro, PhD | stephen.santoro@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular mechanisms of neural plasticity in development and disease |
| Carol Sartorius, PhD | carol.sartorius@cuanschutz.edu | Modulation of RNA polymerase III in breast cancer via progesterone receptors |
| Rebecca Schweppe, PhD | rebecca.schweppe@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular regulation of kinase pathways in thyroid cancer |
| Yiqun Shellman, PhD | yiqun.shellman@cuanschutz.ed | MicroRNA-26a in melanoma |
| Matthew Sikora, PhD | matthew.sikora@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular mechanisms controlling the unique ER transcriptome in invasive lobular carcinoma |
| Lori Sussel, PhD | lori.sussel@cuanschutz.edu | Non-coding RNAs as regulators of islet development and function in health and disease |
| Matthew Taliaferro, PhD | matthew.taliaferro@cuanschutz.edu | Dysregulation of mRNA trafficking and localization in neurological disease |
| Beth Tamburini, PhD | beth.tamburini@cuanschutz.edu | Mechanisms of antigen archiving following vaccination via RNA-based molecular tracking |
| Matt Taylor, MD, PhD | matthew.taylor@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular investigation of inherited cardiomyopathies |
| Linda van Dyk, PhD | linda.vandyk@cuanschutz.edu | Characterization of non-coding RNAs that regulate the innate immune response in virus infection and disease |
| M. Natalia Vergara, PhD | natalia.vergara@cuanschutz.edu | Unraveling the molecular basis of retinal abnormalities in Down syndrome |
| Rajeev Vibhakar, MD, PhD | rajeev.vibhakar@cuanschutz.edu | Molecular characterization of pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors, including glioma, medulloblastoma, and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors |
| Quentin Vicens, PhD | quentin.vicens@cuanschutz.edu | Viral RNA structure |
| Beat Vogeli, PhD | beat.vogeli@cuanschutz.edu | Role of non-coding RNAs in bacterial virulence |
| Mary Weiser-Evans, PhD | mary.weiser-evans@cuanschutz.edu | Modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells using siRNA to mimic cardiac injury |
| Rui Zhao, PhD | rui.zhao@cuanschutz.edu | Dysregulation of the Six1/Eya transcriptional complex in breast and other cancers |