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Research
Dr. Zhao is interested in understanding the epigenetic regulation of gene expression by large noncoding RNAs in cancer and stem cells.
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Biography
Dr. Zhao received her Ph.D. in Endocrinology from the Biology Department at Boston University in 2003.
Genome-wide identification of polycomb-associated RNAs by RIP-seq.
Zhao J, Ohsumi TK, Kung JT, Ogawa Y, Grau DJ, Sarma K, Song JJ, Kingston RE, Borowsky M, Lee JT
Mol Cell. 2010 Dec 22;40(6):939-53
Polycomb proteins targeted by a short repeat RNA to the mouse X chromosome.
Zhao J, Sun BK, Erwin JA, Song JJ, Lee JT
Science. 2008 Oct 31;322(5902):750-6
Cyclic AMP stimulates MEG3 gene expression in cells through a cAMP-response element (CRE) in the MEG3 proximal promoter region.
Zhao J, Zhang X, Zhou Y, Ansell PJ, Klibanski A
Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2006;38(10):1808-20
Hypermethylation of the promoter region is associated with the loss of MEG3 gene expression in human pituitary tumors.
Zhao J, Dahle D, Zhou Y, Zhang X, Klibanski A
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Apr;90(4):2179-86
Leptin receptor expression increases in placenta, but not hypothalamus, during gestation in Mus musculus and Myotis lucifugus.
Zhao J, Townsend KL, Schulz LC, Kunz TH, Li C, Widmaier EP
Placenta. 2004 Sep-Oct;25(8-9):712-22
Comparative analysis of expression and secretion of placental leptin in mammals.
Zhao J, Kunz TH, Tumba N, Schulz LC, Li C, Reeves M, Widmaier EP
Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2003 Aug;285(2):R438-46
View All Publications
Jing Crystal Zhao's Research Focus
Cancer, Childhood Diseases, Birth Defects
Recent genome-wide studies revealed that the majority of the mammalian genome is transcribed and that most of the RNA transcripts do not produce proteins. Emerging evidence suggests that these non-protein coding RNAs play powerful roles in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression during development. One well-known example is the 17 kb Xist RNA, which coats the X-chromosome, recruits chromatin-modifying factors, and silences over a thousand genes in the early female embryo. The focus of my laboratory is on elucidating how large non-coding RNAs function in gene regulation, and on understanding the consequences when they are perturbed in disease states. In particular, we use a combination of high-throughput, biochemical, and molecular approaches to investigate the roles of non-coding RNAs in maintaining stem cell pluripotency and in cancer progression.
We welcome applications from students and postdoctoral fellows interested in these research areas.
About Jing Crystal Zhao
Experience
Crystal Zhao received her Ph.D. in Endocrinology from the Biology Department at Boston University in 2003. She then trained as a research fellow in the Neuroendocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School where she became interested in epigenetics. From 2006-2010, Dr. Zhao received her postdoctoral training in the Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, and was recruited to the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute as an assistant professor in 2011.
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