Jason Brickner Professor

Research Summary:

DNA and proteins are non-randomly localized within the nucleus of the cell.  The Brickner lab studies how cells control the position of genes within the nucleus, and how gene positioning affects gene expression.  When genes are activated or repressed, their position in the nucleus often changes.  The lab has identified DNA "zip codes" in the promoters of genes that control their positioning, transcription and, through an epigenetic mechanism, chromatin structure.

Selected Publications:

Van Belzen, J., C. Duan, D.G. Brickner & J.H. Brickner. ChEC-seq2: an improved Chromatin Endogenous Cleavage sequencing method and bioinformatic analysis pipeline for mapping in vivo protein-DNA interactions (2024). NAR Genomics & Bioinformatics (6), Issue 1: Iqae012

Sump, B., D.G. Brickner, A. D’Urso, S-H Kim & J.H. Brickner (2022).  Mitotically heritable, RNA polymerase II-independent H3K4 dimethylation stimulates INO1 transcriptional memory. eLife 2022;11:e77646

Sumner, M.C., S.B. Torrisi, D.G. Brickner & J.H. Brickner (2021). Random sub-diffusion and capture of genes by the nuclear pore reduces dynamics and coordinates interchromosomal movement.  eLife 2021;10:e66238 doi: 10.7554/eLife.66238

Brickner, D.G, C. Randise-Hinchliff, M. L. Corbin, J. M. Liang, S. Kim, B. Sump, A. D’Urso, S. H. Kim, A. Satomura, H. Schmit, R. Coukos, S. Hwang, R. Watson & J. H. Brickner (2019).  The role of transcription factors and nuclear pore proteins in controlling the spatial organization of the yeast genome.  Developmental Cell 49: 936-947.

Sood, V. and J.H. Brickner (2017). Genetic and epigenetic strategies potentiate Gal4 activation to enhance fitness in recently diverged yeasts. Curr. Biol. 27: 3591-3602.

Seungsoo Kim, Ivan Liachko, Donna G. Brickner, Kate Cook, William S. Noble, J.H. Brickner, Jay Shendure, Maitreya J. Dunham (2017).  The dynamic three-dimensional organization of the diploid yeast genome. eLife 2017;6:e23623.

Varun Sood, Ivelisse Cajigas, Agustina D’Urso, William H. Light and Jason H. Brickner (2017).  Epigenetic Transcriptional Memory of GAL Genes Depends on Growth in Glucose and the Tup1 Transcription Factor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.  Genetics 206 (4): 1895-1907.

Brickner, J.H. (2017).  Genetic and epigenetic control of the spatial organization of the genome. Mol. Biol. Cell 28 (3): 364-369.

D’Urso, A. & Brickner, J.H. (2016). Epigenetic Transcriptional Memory. Curr Genet (2016). doi:10.1007/s00294-016-0661-8

Brickner, D.G., V. Sood, E. Tutucci, R. Coukos, K. Viets, R. Singer and J.H. Brickner (2016).  Subnuclear positioning and interchromosomal clustering of the GAL1-10 locus are controlled by separable, interdependent mechanisms. Mol. Biol. Cell, 27: 2980-2993.

Randise-Hinchliff and J. H. Brickner (2016).  Mechanisms of regulation of transcription factor-mediated control of the spatial organization of the yeast genome.  Nucleus DOI:10.1080/19491034.2016.1212797

D’Urso, A., Y. Takahashi, B. Xiong, J. Marone, R. Coukos, C. Randise-Hinchliff, J.-P. Wang, A. Shilatifard and J.H. Brickner (2016).  COMPASS and Mediator are repurposed to promote epigenetic transcriptional memory.  eLife 2016; 10.7554/eLife.16691.

Randise-Hinchliff, C., R. Coukos, V. Sood, M. C. Sumner, S. Zdraljevic, L. Meldi Sholl, D.G. Brickner, S. Ahmed, L. Watchmaker and J.H. Brickner (2016).  Strategies to regulate transcription factor-mediated gene positioning and interchromosomal clustering at the nuclear periphery.  J. Cell Biol. 212(6): 633-646. PMC4792077

Brickner, D.G., R. Coukos and J.H. Brickner (2015) INO1 transcriptional memory leads to DNA zip code dependent interchromosomal clustering.  Microbial Cell, 2(12): 481-490.  PMC4682904
 
A conserved role for human Nup98 in altering chromatin structure and promoting epigenetic transcriptional memory. Light WH, Freaney J, Sood V, Thompson A, D'Urso A, Horvath CM, Brickner JH.  PLoS Biology. 2013 Mar 26;11(3):e1001524.

Transcription factor binding to a DNA zip code controls interchromosomal clustering at the nuclear periphery.  Brickner DG, Ahmed S, Meldi L, Thompson A, Light W, Young M, Hickman TL, Chu F, Fabre E, Brickner JH.  Dev Cell. 2012 Jun 12;22(6):1234-46.

Interaction of a DNA zip code with the nuclear pore complex promotes H2A.Z incorporation and INO1 transcriptional memory. Light WH, Brickner DG, Brand VR, Brickner JH.  Mol Cell. 2010 Oct 8;40(1):112-25.

DNA zip codes control an ancient mechanism for gene targeting to the nuclear periphery. Ahmed S, Brickner DG, Light WH, Cajigas I, McDonough M, Froyshteter AB, Volpe T, Brickner JH. Nat Cell Biol. 2010 Feb;12(2):111-8.

H2A.Z-mediated localization of genes at the nuclear periphery confers epigenetic memory of previous transcriptional state. Brickner DG, Cajigas I, Fondufe-Mittendorf Y, Ahmed S, Lee PC, Widom J, Brickner JH. PLoS Biology. 2007 Apr;5(4):e81.

Selected Honors:

2014 Soretta and Henry Shapiro Research Professor in Molecular Biology

W.M. Keck Young Scholar in Medical Research

Baldwin Award for Biomedical Research

Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellowship