Henry L. Levin, Ph.D.

Transposable elements were highly active throughout evolution resulting in genome landscapes dominated by sequence repeats. The regulatory sequences contained within transposable elements have been broadly dispersed to form gene regulatory networks important for many biological functions. Our current studies focus on the integration of transposable elements and how de novo insertion modifies host biology. Experimental systems include the LTR retrotransposon of fission yeast, and HIV-1 in human cells. Recent work relies on the vast databases of human genetics to understand the role of transposable elements in human disease.

Dr. Henry Levin is the head of the Section of Eukaryotic Transposable Elements. He received his PhD from University of California, Berkeley and then was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University with Jef Boeke. Dr. Levin’s studies on the LTR retrotransposons in fission yeast identified mechanistic details of particle formation, reverse transcription, and integration. This research led to innovative methods of DNA sequencing that revealed integration behavior of transposable elements. With these methods the laboratory demonstrated that transposable element integration in fission yeast occurs primarily at promoters resulting in altered gene expression. These sequencing methods were also applied to studies of HIV-1 and provided new insight into the integration behavior of HIV-1. In addition, Dr. Levin develops novel technologies that rely on transposable elements to characterize genetic function genome-wide. Dr. Levin has organized several conferences and symposia on transposon biology and retrovirus replication.