Joseph Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Investigator
Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory / Single Cell Dynamics Group
NIEHS
Research Topics
We study how the environment influences expression variability at the single cell level and subsequently how this variability influences cell fate decisions.
Our understanding of gene regulation is mostly based on studies which assay whole tissues and bulk cell lysates. My group is interested in understanding why genetically identical cells respond heterogenous to environmental stimuli. Recent research suggests that in diseases such as cancer or the process of aging, expression variability increases in tissue. Determining the factors and mechanisms that regulate this variability will help us understand the differences between normal and diseased states.
Biography
Selected Publications
- Ren G, Jin W, Cui K, Rodrigez J, Hu G, Zhang Z, Larson DR, Zhao K. CTCF-Mediated Enhancer-Promoter Interaction Is a Critical Regulator of Cell-to-Cell Variation of Gene Expression. Mol Cell. 2017;67(6):1049-1058.e6.
- Wan Y, Anastasakis DG, Rodriguez J, Palangat M, Gudla P, Zaki G, Tandon M, Pegoraro G, Chow CC, Hafner M, Larson DR. Dynamic imaging of nascent RNA reveals general principles of transcription dynamics and stochastic splice site selection. Cell. 2021;184(11):2878-2895.e20.
- Rodriguez J, Larson DR. Transcription in Living Cells: Molecular Mechanisms of Bursting. Annu Rev Biochem. 2020;89:189-212.
- Rodriguez J, Ren G, Day CR, Zhao K, Chow CC, Larson DR. Intrinsic Dynamics of a Human Gene Reveal the Basis of Expression Heterogeneity. Cell. 2019;176(1-2):213-226.e18.
Related Scientific Focus Areas
Biomedical Engineering and Biophysics
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This page was last updated on Friday, January 17, 2020