91猎奇 evolutionary geneticist, Dr. Erin Kelleher, has been awarded a $348,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Mid-Career Advancement Award. She will pursue groundbreaking research on transposable elements, which are parasitic pieces of DNA that move within genomes.
for Graduate Affairs
Transposable elements can make up nearly half of the human genome and are linked to
mutations, chromosome rearrangements, and even cancer progression. While the scientific
focus has long been on how genomes defend themselves, Kelleher鈥檚 team discovered that
the host can also help the parasite succeed. One such gene, called Bruno, binds to
transposable element RNA and ensures it is made into the proteins that allow the elements
to spread.
鈥淭raditionally, we鈥檝e thought only about defense,鈥� said Kelleher. 鈥淏ut our discovery
of the gene Bruno, a host gene that helps transposable elements move, shows that the
host also provides tools the parasites exploit.鈥�
Her project aims to build molecular toolkits to identify additional host 鈥渉elper鈥�
proteins with an ultimate goal of uncovering how they make some species susceptible
to TE invasion.
In humans, transposable elements are unusually active in cancer cells. Their movement
disrupts DNA, creates mutations, and fuels the genetic chaos that makes tumors grow
and spread. By identifying the host proteins that enable these elements, Kelleher鈥檚
research could help scientists find new ways to block the helpers, reducing genome
instability and potentially slowing cancer progression.
With NSF support, Kelleher will collaborate with RNA biochemists at the University
of Missouri Kansas City to develop new molecular tools to identify additional host
鈥渉elper鈥� proteins. Understanding these interactions could explain why some species
are more vulnerable to new genome invasions and provide insights into how uncontrolled
transposable element activity contributes to human disease.
鈥淏asic research like mine has鈥痜ar reaching and unpredictable potential,鈥� said Kelleher.
鈥淲hen Barbara McClintock made her Nobel-prize winning discovery of transposable elements鈥痠n
corn genomes,鈥痵he had no notion that her 鈥榡umping genes鈥� would turn out to be ubiquitous鈥痗onstituents鈥痮f
eukaryotic genomes, or that they would be mutagenic鈥痵ources鈥痮f human disease. I cannot鈥痵ay
that future applications鈥痺ill arise from my work, but I鈥檓 excited to learn more about
TE biology, and hopefully better understand their mobilization in our genomes."
For more information about the award, visit .