Brian Oliver, Ph.D.
Senior Investigator
Developmental Genomics Section, Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology
NIDDK
Research Topics
Research Goal
Our ultimate goal is to determine how the collective action of genes results in an individual with specific characteristics and disease susceptibilities.
Current Research
Drosophila melanogaster is an important functional model system, boasting facile genetics, complex organ systems, complex behaviors, and a sequenced genome.Our long-term goal is to develop predictive models of gene function. Our approach relies on high-throughput techniques used to profile biological processes such as expression, promoter occupancy, and chromatin status, in conjunction with computational analysis and genetics.
Applying our Research
Subtle perturbations in gene networks are likely to cause much of inherited disease susceptibility, but understanding how complex genotypes and environmental interactions result in disease will require experimental systems biology using model organisms. Predictive models for gene and pathway function will be important for diagnosis and ultimately intervention, fulfilling the promise of the human genome project.
Need for Further Study
We have a reasonable understanding of the functions of some individual genes, but we know very little about how they work together.
Biography
- Section Chief, Developmental Genomics Section, Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, NIDDK, NIH, 2005–Present
- Senior Investigator, Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, NIDDK, NIH, 2002–Present
- Investigator, Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, NIDDK, NIH, 1995–2002
- Group Leader, Aix-Marseille Université, 1992–1995
- Postdoctoral, Laboratory of Bruce Baker, 1988–1991
- Ph.D., Laboratory of Anthony Mahowald, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 1988
- M.S., Laboratory of Sheldon Shen, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, 1985
- B.A., Gustavus Adolphus College, 1981
Selected Publications
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Clough E, Jimenez E, Kim YA, Whitworth C, Neville MC, Hempel LU, Pavlou HJ, Chen ZX, Sturgill D, Dale RK, Smith HE, Przytycka TM, Goodwin SF, Van Doren M, Oliver B. Sex- and tissue-specific functions of Drosophila doublesex transcription factor target genes. Dev Cell. 2014;31(6):761-73.
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Brown JB, Boley N, Eisman R, May GE, Stoiber MH, Duff MO, Booth BW, Wen J, Park S, Suzuki AM, Wan KH, Yu C, Zhang D, Carlson JW, Cherbas L, Eads BD, Miller D, Mockaitis K, Roberts J, Davis CA, Frise E, Hammonds AS, Olson S, Shenker S, Sturgill D, Samsonova AA, Weiszmann R, Robinson G, Hernandez J, Andrews J, Bickel PJ, Carninci P, Cherbas P, Gingeras TR, Hoskins RA, Kaufman TC, Lai EC, Oliver B, Perrimon N, Graveley BR, Celniker SE. Diversity and dynamics of the Drosophila transcriptome. Nature. 2014;512(7515):393-9.
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Chen ZX, Sturgill D, Qu J, Jiang H, Park S, Boley N, Suzuki AM, Fletcher AR, Plachetzki DC, FitzGerald PC, Artieri CG, Atallah J, Barmina O, Brown JB, Blankenburg KP, Clough E, Dasgupta A, Gubbala S, Han Y, Jayaseelan JC, Kalra D, Kim YA, Kovar CL, Lee SL, Li M, Malley JD, Malone JH, Mathew T, Mattiuzzo NR, Munidasa M, Muzny DM, Ongeri F, Perales L, Przytycka TM, Pu LL, Robinson G, Thornton RL, Saada N, Scherer SE, Smith HE, Vinson C, Warner CB, Worley KC, Wu YQ, Zou X, Cherbas P, Kellis M, Eisen MB, Piano F, Kionte K, Fitch DH, Sternberg PW, Cutter AD, Duff MO, Hoskins RA, Graveley BR, Gibbs RA, Bickel PJ, Kopp A, Carninci P, Celniker SE, Oliver B, Richards S. Comparative validation of the D. melanogaster modENCODE transcriptome annotation. Genome Res. 2014;24(7):1209-23.
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Sturgill D, Malone JH, Sun X, Smith HE, Rabinow L, Samson ML, Oliver B. Design of RNA splicing analysis null models for post hoc filtering of Drosophila head RNA-Seq data with the splicing analysis kit (Spanki). BMC Bioinformatics. 2013;14:320.
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Malone JH, Cho DY, Mattiuzzo NR, Artieri CG, Jiang L, Dale RK, Smith HE, McDaniel J, Munro S, Salit M, Andrews J, Przytycka TM, Oliver B. Mediation of Drosophila autosomal dosage effects and compensation by network interactions. Genome Biol. 2012;13(4):r28.
