Dr. Sharon R. Dent

Regular Member

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department of Molecular Carcinogenesis
The Virginia Harris Cockrell Cancer Research Center

My laboratory is located in Smithville, Texas, at UT Science Park

Research Interests:

• Gene regulation
• Histone acetylation
• Cell growth and differentiation

DNA associates with an octamer of histone proteins (two each of histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4) in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells to form the nucleosome, which serves as the building block for higher-order chromatin structures. Both individual nucleosomes and higher-order chromatin structures regulate DNA templated processes, including gene transcription, DNA replication, recombination, and repair. Our lab is studying histone modifying enzymes that regulate chromatin structures and contribute to epigenetic alterations in cell phenotypes. Our overall goal is to understand the importance of chromatin remodeling and epigenetics to normal cell growth and development. We then hope to gain insights into how misregulation of these activities contributes to disease states, including various cancers. We use both yeast and mice as model systems. Our recent work has revealed unexpected functions for a histone methyltransferase, Set1, in yeast kinetochore function during mitosis. In other studies, we have discovered a role for a histone acetyltransferase, Gcn5, in telomere maintenance, genome integrity, and neural development.

Tutorials in my lab provide experience in basic techniques in molecular biology, genetics, mouse knock out technologies, and biochemistry.

Selected Publications:

Butler JS, Zurita-Lopez Cl, Clarke SG, Bedford MT, Dent SY. Protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) methylates ASH2L, a shared component of mammalian histone H3K4 methyltransferase complexes.  J Biol Chem 286(14):12234-44, 4/2011. e-Pub 2/2011. PMCID: PMC3069427.

Xu CR, Cole PA, Meyers DJ, Kormich J, Dent S, Zaret KS. Chromatin "prepattern" and histone modifiers in a fate choice for liver and pancreas. Science 332:(6032):963-966, 5/2011. PMCID: PMC3128430.

Wilson MA, Koutelou E, Hirsch C, Akdemir K, Schibler A, Barton MC, Dent SY. Ubp8 and SAGA regulate Snf1 AMP kinase activity.  Mol Cell Biol 31(15):3126-3135, 8/2011. e-Pub 5/2011. PMCID: PMC3147604.

Latham JA, Chosed RJ, Wang S, Dent SY. Chromatin signaling to kinetochores: Trans-regulation of Dam1 methylation by histone H2B ubiquitination. Cell 146(5):709-19, 9/2011. PMCID: PMC3168986.

Atanassov BS, Dent SY. USP22 regulates cell proliferation by deubiquitinating the transcriptional regulator FBP1. EMBO Rep 12(9):924-30, 9/2011. e-Pub 9/2011. PMCID: PMC3166460.

Kim E, Napierala M, Dent SY. Hyperexpansion of GAA repeats affects post-initiation steps of FXN transcription in Friedreich's ataxia. Nucleic Acids Res 39(19):1-12, 10/2011. e-Pub 7/2011. PMCID: PMC3201871.

Chen YC, Gatchel JR, Lewis RW, Mao CA, Grant PA, Zoghbi HY, Dent SY. Gcn5 loss-of-function accelerates cerebellar and retinal degeneration in a SCA7 mouse model. Hum Mol Genet 21(2):394-405, 1/2012. e-Pub 10/2011. PMCID: PMC3276287.

Polak U, Hirsch C, Ku S, Gottesfeld J, Dent SY, Napierala M. Selecting and isolating colonies of human induced pluripotent stem cells reprogrammed from adult fibroblasts. J Vis Exp(60), 2012. e-Pub 2/2012.

Additional Publications

Lab Homepage

Program Affiliation:

Program in Molecular Carcinogenesis