# positions[].organizations[].parent[].label
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# overview
We are interested in the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in mammalian cells. Many of our experiments have focused on the transcription of the proviral genome of the retrovirus mouse mammary tumor virus, which is subject to both positive and negative control. A number of cellular proteins that are important for viral transcription have been identified, and we would like to define the precise roles of these proteins in establishing correct levels of viral gene expression. We are also exploring some specific questions related to the general mechanism of transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II and the biochemical details of transcriptional regulation. In particular, we are developing assays to directly assess effects of transcriptional regulatory proteins on discrete steps in the initiation process, including transcription complex assembly, separation of the two strands of template DNA at the initiation site, and promoter clearance by the polymerase as it begins RNA synthesis.

# hrJobTitle
Retired Senior Professor and Associate Department Head

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
Harvard University - (Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States)

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
Pomona College - (Claremont, California, United States)

# publications[].label
TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF MOUSE MAMMARY-TUMOR VIRUS GENE-EXPRESSION

# publications[].label
Immunological selection of variant mouse lymphoid cells with altered glucocorticoid responsiveness.

# publications[].label
Fidelity of RNA Polymerase II Transcription: Role of Rbp9 in Error Detection and Proofreading

# publications[].label
VARIANT CELL-LINES WITH ALTERED GLUCOCORTICOID RESPONSIVENESS SELECTED BY WAY OF AN MMTV PROMOTER FUSION WITH A GENE ENCODING A SELECTABLE MARKER

# publications[].label
ATP-mediated activation of RNA polymerase II transcription complexes.

# publications[].label
RNA Polymerase II Trigger Loop Mobility: INDIRECT EFFECTS OF Rpb9.

# publications[].label
RNA polymerase II subunit Rpb9 is important for transcriptional fidelity in vivo

# publications[].publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

# publications[].label
A mouse mammary tumor virus promoter element near the transcription initiation site.

# publications[].label
Use of bacterial and firefly luciferases as reporter genes in DEAE-dextran-mediated transfection of mammalian cells.

# publications[].label
Initiation site binding protein and the initiator-like promoter element of mouse mammary tumor virus.

# publications[].label
Correction to Fidelity of RNA Polymerase II Transcription: Role of Rpb9 in Error Detection and Proofreading

# publications[].label
Stimulation of basal transcription from the mouse mammary tumor virus promoter by Oct proteins.

# publications[].label
Multipartite structure of a negative regulatory element associated with a steroid hormone-inducible promoter.

# publications[].label
In vitro analysis of transcriptional repression of the mouse mammary tumor virus promoter.

# publications[].label
Discrete promoter elements affect specific properties of RNA polymerase II transcription complexes

# publications[].label
Sequence organization and molecular cloning of mouse mammary tumor virus DNA endogenous to C57BL/6 mice.

# publications[].label
Multiple hormone-inducible enhancers as mediators of differential transcription.

# publications[].label
A transcriptionally defective long terminal repeat within an endogenous copy of mouse mammary tumor virus proviral DNA.

# publications[].label
Oct-1 protein promotes functional transcription complex assembly on the mouse mammary tumor virus promoter.

# publications[].label
Context-dependent gene expression: cis-acting negative effects of specific procaryotic plasmid sequences on eucaryotic genes.

# publications[].label
IN-VITRO ANALYSIS OF MOUSE MAMMARY-TUMOR VIRUS TRANSCRIPTION

# publications[].label
Functional redundancy of octamer elements in the mouse mammary tumor virus promoter

# publications[].label
Identification of a protein that recognizes a distal negative regulatory element within the mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat.

# publications[].label
RNA polymerase II transcription complex assembly in nuclear extracts.

# publications[].label
Alterations in chromatin structure associated with glucocorticoid-induced expression of endogenous mouse mammary tumor virus genes.

# publications[].label
MULTIPLE TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATORY ELEMENTS AS MEDIATORS OF DIFFERENTIAL TRANSCRIPTION

# publications[].label
A novel cysteine cluster in human metal-responsive transcription factor 1 is required for heavy metal-induced transcriptional activation in vivo.

# publications[].label
Transcriptional repression of a hormone-responsive promoter

# researcherOn[].label
Fidelity and Regulation of RNA Polymerase II Transcription

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Institute of Food and Agriculture - (Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)

# streetAddress
Texas A&M University; Biochemistry & Biophysics; 2128 TAMU

# schools[]
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# etdChairOf[].label
Knippa, Kevin Christopher (2013-07). Role of RPB9 in RNA Polymerase II Fidelity. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Kaster, Benjamin Catlin (2016-02). The Role of RNA Polymerase II Subunit Rpb9: In and Out of the Active Site. Doctoral Dissertation.