Jörg Bungert, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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Jörg Bungert, Ph.D. |
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Analysis of long distance gene regulation in the β-globin gene locus. Research in our laboratory focuses on the regulation of the β-globin gene cluster. The five β-like globin genes encode subunits of hemoglobin and are expressed in a developmental stage specific manner only in erythroid cells. The ε-globin gene is expressed in erythroid cells of the embryonic yolk sac, the γ-globin genes in the fetal liver, and the adult δ- and β-globin genes in erythroid cells generated in the bone marrow. High level expression of the β-globin genes is regulated by the locus control region (LCR), a powerful and complex regulatory DNA element located far upstream of the genes. We test the hypothesis that the LCR serves as the primary attachment site for the recruitment of chromatin modifying and transcription complexes. These protein complexes mediate accessibility and transcription of the globin genes and ultimately regulate the association of the globin genes with the LCR. We also attempt to identify proteins that mediate the association of transcription complexes with the β-globin gene locus and have shown that the helix-loop-helix protein USF is required for RNA polymerase II interactions with the LCR and the adult β-globin gene promoter. We hope that our work will contribute to finding new strategies in the treatment of hemoglobinopathies, like thalassemia and sickle cell anemia, which are among the most common genetic disorders in the human population.
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Status: Possibly New Students This Year Contact Information: office: CGRC 403 lab: CGRC 430 phone: 352-273-8098 email: jbungert@ufl.edu Home Page Biography: Dr. Bungert received his Ph.D. from Philipps University (Marburg, Germany) in 1992 under the guidance of Dr. Klaus Seifart for his work on the characterization of transcription complex recruitment to genes expressed in erythroid cells. With fellowships from the German Research Society (DFG) and the American Heart Association he performed Post-doctoral studies in the laboratory of Dr. James D. Engel at Northwestern University working on the regulation of the human β-globin gene cluster. In 1998 Dr. Bungert joined the University of Florida as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 2005. Dr. Bungert served as ad hoc reviewer on NIH and AHA study sections and is a member of the editorial board of the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB). |
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