2018 Lab Members
Current Lab Members
Sarah C.R. Elgin
Professor of Biology
- Phone: 314-935-5348
- Fax: 314-935-4432
- Email: selgin@nospam.wustl.edu
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor
Viktor Hamburger Professor Emerita in Arts & Sciences
Ph.D. Biochemistry, California Institute of Technology
Chromatin structure and gene expression in Drosophila; chromosomal proteins; heterochromatin/euchromatin; dot chromosome; RNAi in heterochromatin formation.
Christopher Shaffer
- Phone: 314-935-5078
- Fax: 314-935-4432
- Email: shaffer@nospam.wustl.edu
Ph.D. Genetics, Cornell University
Identification and characterization of HP2, a chromosomal protein that interacts with HP1; dot chromosome.
Elena Gracheva
- Phone: 314-935-6837
- Fax: 314-935-4432
- Email: GRACHEVA@nospam.WUSTL.EDU
Ph.D. Molecular Genetics, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Medros, St. Louis
Designing a genetic screen for enhancers and suppressors of GAGA factor activity; role of RNAi in heterochromatin formation; VIG2.
Wilson Leung
- Phone: 314-935-5078
- Fax: 314-935-4432
- Email: wleung@nospam.wustl.edu
B.A. in Biology, Washington University.
Computational analysis of the dot chromosome of D. melanogaster and D. virilis.
Lab Technicians
Jo Wuller
Technician
- Email: wuller@nospam.wustl.edu
B.S. Economics, St. Louis University
Organization of chromosome four; Drosophila stock-keeper.
Undergraduate Students
The Elgin Lab 2010
The Elgin Lab, friends and family, June 2004
The Elgin Lab, friends and family, summer 1998
Postdoctoral Fellows and Research Scientists (current or last known position)
Ann A. Ribolini
1976-1978 (NIH Fellowship); staff member, Biogen.
Kashiyar Javaherian
1979-1980; staff member, Repligen.
Gary Howard
1978-1981; Senior Scientific Editor, J. David Gladstone Institutes, UCSF.
Ky Lowenhaupt
1979-1983 (NIH Fellowship); Senior Research Associate with A. Rich, M.I.T.
Gerhard Fleischmann
1980-1983; teacher and environmental advisor, Künzell, Germany.
Iain L. Cartwright
1979-1985; Associate Professor of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry & Microbiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
T.C. James
1982-1986; Research Associate, Microbiology, Trinity College, Dublin, Eire.
James Flick
1983-1986; Section Director, Dept Laboratory Medicine, St John Regional Hospital, New Brunswick; Asso. Prof, Dalhousie University, Canada.
Joel Eissenberg
1982-1987 (NIH Fellowship); Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
Sally Amero
1984-1987; Scientific Review Administrator, Genetic Sciences, NIH.
Graham H. Thomas
1984-1988; Associate Professor of Biology, Pennsylvania State University.
David Gilmour
1985-1989 (NIH Fellowship); Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, Pennsylvania State University.
Angela van Daal
1986-1989; Professor and Asso. Dean, Research, Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine, Bond University, Australia.
Quinn Lu
1988-1994; Senior Investigator, Department of Gene Expression and Protein Biochemistry, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia PA
Robert Clark
1988-1992 (NIH Fellowship); Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN.
John Teare
1990-1993; Principal Scientist, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Berkeley, CA.
Lori Wallrath
1991-1996 (NIH Fellowship); Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa College of Medicine, IA
Boris A Leibovitch
1994-2004; Research Assistant Professor of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.
Marci Swede
1994-1996 (NIH Fellowship); Instructor, Biology, Middlesex Community College, Middletown, CT.
Gabrella Farkas
1996-2006; computer illustrator and data management specialist.
Fang-Lin Sun
1997-2001; Professor, School of Life Sciences & Technology, and Dean, Inst of Translational Medical Sciences, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Maria Kapatenaki
2001-2003; Research Associate at University of Pittsburgh.
Kathryn Huisinga
2005-2011; Asso Professor of Biology, Malone University, Canton OH.
Nicole Riddle
2005-2012; Asst Professor, Biology, University of Alabama, Birmingham AL.
Tingting Gu
2014; Asso Professor at Nanjing Agricultural Universiy, China
April Bauer
2013 – 2015; staff scientist, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis MO
Graduate students (current or last known position):
Lee M. Silver
Ph.D. in Biophysics, Harvard University, 1978; Professor of molecular biology and public policy in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs at Princeton University.
Carl E.C. Wu
Ph.D. in Biology, Harvard University, 1979; Laboratory Chief, Head Chromosome Structure & Gene Regulation Section, Lab. Biochem & Molec. Biol., NCI, NIH; currently Professor at Johns Hopkins University.
David W. Miller
Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Harvard University, 1980; Senior Director, Business Development, Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp, Lexington MA.
Yuk Chor Wong
M.A. in Biology, Harvard University, 1980.
Robert DeLorimier
Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Harvard University, 1982.
Michael A. Keene
Ph.D., in Biochemistry, Harvard University, 1983; former State Science Advisor and Director, Centers of Excellence Program, Utah; current Director, MBA-Technology Commercialization Program, Westminster College, Utah.
Esther Siegfriede
Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Washington University, 1988; Asso Teaching Prof, Biology, University of Pennsylvania – Altoona.
Thomas Dietz
Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Washington University, 1990; Chairman & CEO at Waypoint Holdings, LLC, San Francisco.
Barbara Allen
M.A. in Biological Sciences, Washington University, 1991; consultant, writer and publisher on “Conquering Arthritis.”.
Cynthia Wagner
Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Washington University, 1992; Senior Lecturer, Biological Sciences, University of Maryland – Baltimore County.
Howard Granok
Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Washington University, 1996; biology teacher, Crossroads School, St. Louis, MO.
Gena Bloth Stephens
Ph.D. in Molecular Cell Biology, Washington University, 2005; Radiation Oncology, Licensing Associate, Washington University, St. Louis, MO.
Karmella Haynes
Graduate Student
Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, Washington University, 2006; Associate Professor, Coulter Biomedical Engineering Dept, Georgia Tech / Emory University.
Brent Brower-Toland
Graduate Student
Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, Washington University, 2008; currently a staff scientist with Monsanto.
Deanna Mendez
Graduate Student
Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics, Washington University, 2012; postdoctoral research with Robert Kranz, Washington University in St Louis.
Monica Sentmanat
Graduate Student
Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, Washington University, 2012; currently Senior Scientist, Tissue Culture Support Center, Washington University in St. Louis.
Sidney H Wang
Graduate Student
Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, Washington University, 2012; Assistant Professor, Center for Human Genetics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston, TX.
Kiri Ulmschneider
MA in Cell Biology, Washington University, 2017.
Former Lab Technicians
Carolyn Craig
Lab Technician
B.S. Biology, Harding University
Characterization of fourth chromosome inserts; distribution patterns of chromosomal proteins
Lynne Collins
Lab Technician
M.A. in Biology, Washington University; currently a research technician at Washington University Medical School
Sarah Gadel
Lab Technician
B.S. Biochemistry and Biotechnology (cum laude), University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Drosophila stock maintenance, population cage maintenance, and modENCODE Project.
Sarah Marchetti
Lab Technician
B.S. Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis; M.S. Molecular Biology, St. Louis University.
modENCODE Project
Undergraduates in the Elgin lab (>90 engaged in research)
Washington University
Summer 2019: Jennifer Ferry, Louis Gordon, Prasheil Mandava & Jared Moxley received BioSURF awards to participate in Drosophila genomics.
Lab assistance 18-19: Kevin Doan, Aidan Flynn, Isabelle Palmer Lillian Williams
Ariel Feng, Drosophila genomics summer 2018, continuing AY 18-19.
Amy Kwan, Drosophila genomics summer 2018, continuing AY 18-19.
Caelan Miller, Drosophila genomics summer 2018, continuing AY 18-19.
Muhammad Mousa, Drosophila genomics summer 2018
Alice Herrman, Drosophila genomics summer 2018, continuing AY 18-19.
Lab assistance 2017-18: Kevin Doan, Aidan Flynn, Isabelle Palmer.
Jon Zilke, Drosophila genomics summer 17, continuing on TSS AY 17-18.
Kendra Wooodruff, Drosophila genomics summer 17; research on repeats summer/fall 18, senior thesis 19.
Frank Chen, Drosophila genomics summer 17, AY 17-18.
Kelly Hartigan, Drosophila genomics summer 17; phage, fall 17.
Mitchell Grinwald, Drosophila genomics summer 17, summer 18.
Margaret Gaggioli, Drosophila genomics summer 17, fall 17.
Lab assistance, 16-17: Kevin Doan, Mikayla Johnson
Emily Chi, Drosophila genomics summer 2016; continued AY 16-17, senior thesis 2017.
Monica Perumattam, Drosophila genomics summer 2016.
Jacob Cantrell, Drosophila genomics summer 2016; fourth chromosome research, AY and summers 17, 18; BioSURF 2017; received WU support to attend Drosophila Research Conference, presented poster 18, 19; senior thesis 2019.
Guanlan Dong, Drosophila genomics summer 2016
Ben French. Drosophila genomics summers 16-18, AY; BioSURF 2017; received WU support to attend Drosophila Research Conference, presented poster 19; senior thesis 2019/
Mikayla Johnson, lab assistance fall 15 – spring 17; Drosophila genomics summer 2017, AY fall 17- spring 19.
Lab assistance 15-16: Mikayla Johnson, Casey Mason
Thomas Pranzatelli, reconciliation summer 2015 & senior thesis, sp 2016; grad school
Sarah Swiezy, work on finishing D. elegans, 4 wks summer 2015
Daniel Cui Zhou; reconciliation of gene models, part-time summer 2015
Sukruth Shashikumar, GAA-induced silencing 15-16; SURF summer 2016, senior thesis; med school WU
Lab assistance 14-15: Daniel Jung, Sukruth Shashikumar
Elizabeth Chen, Drosophila genomics, summer 2014; med school
Thomas Quisenberry, Drosophila genomics, summer 2014; senior thesis, sp 2015
Lab assistance fall 2013: Gary Huang, Jason Kunisaki
Michael Lee, lab asst 12-13; T Gu project fall 13; SURF with A Bauer summer 2014; SURF with E Gracheva, summer 2015 (NSF-REU); senior thesis sp 2016.
Sarah Doan, lab asst 12-13; genetics research 13-14
David Xiong, summer 2012, Bio 500 – Drosophila genomics
Paul Lee: summer 2012 Drosophila genomics; capstone in Computer Science.
Lab assistance fall 11: George Rizik, Nishanth Uli, Delia Shen
Kevin Ko, 11-12 – HP1a domains on polytenes; GEP, summer 2013; poster and senior thesis on D. ananassae.
George Rizik, summer 2011, Prefreshman (HP1a/polytenes/new species)
Rebecca Mandt, Grinnell College, summer 2011 (MedRap); HP1a studies w/ D Mendez
William Barshop, summer 2011; GEP; grad school UCLA.
Lab assistance 2010-2011: Viktor Panfil, Ran Annie Wang, Rita Chen, Kevin Ko
Han Yuan summer 2010 – annotation; summer 2011 SURF
Matt DeVries; summer 2010- population cages
Ruth Nan, 08 – 12; analysis of Y chromosome
Hien Nguyen, fall 09 maintenance; HP2 Y2H screen summer 10.
Jeannette Wong, summer 2009- May 11; annotation/genomics; MA Public Health
Anita Hoong, 08-09; screen for good “landing pad” sites
Hao Yang, 07-11; screen for good “landing pad” sites, characterization Invader4; SURF 2010, travel award (to Drosophila meeting); thesis/magna; med school Indiana
Patrick Ng, 09-12: screen for good “landing pad” sites; Y2H screen; SURF 2011; grad school Texas.
Micaela Blank, 08, 09, 10 summer: lab support, genetic test of RNAi lines, screen.
Michelle Wang, 07-08: lab support, genetic test of RNAi lines; genetic screen.
Lab assistance 2007-2008: Cara Kantor, Nikale Pettie, Jacob Vineberg, Sarah Rasmussen.
Greg Gandenberg, summer 07, 08, 09: lab support, genetic test of RNAi lines, screen.
Andrew Nylander, GEP
William Dirkes, 07-09; analysis of dot chromosomes (bioinformatics approach). Senior thesis: Computational prediction of sequence-specific genomic elements influencing heterochromatin formation in D. melanogaster. Medical school.
Perry Morroco, 07-11; WU/HHMI Prefreshman Fellow; evolution of heterochromatin proteins; testing RNAi lines; Pc investigation WU/HHMI Fellowship 2010, travel award (Drosophila); thesis/summa; med school Northwestern.
Hongwei (David) Liu, 07-08, lab support, testing RNAi lines.
Elizabeth Messer, 07-09. Expression of fourth chromosome genes. WU/HHMI Fellowship summer 08. Senior thesis: To what degree do P element reporters reflect the expression state of the genes near their insertion site? Medical school.
Mathew Dorthager, 06-09. Analysis of 1360 variegating lines; chromosome 4 genomics (GEP). WU/HHMI Fellowship 08. Technician Univ Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, then med school (Carribean)
Albert Wu, 06-08. Lab support, screen and analysis of 1360 variegating lines.
Iboro Umana, 06-07; WU/HHMI Prefreshman Fellow; evolution of heterochromatin proteins.
Stephen McDaniel, 06-08; (WU/HHMI Fellowship ’07) role of 1360 in heterochromatin; tech then grad school UNC.
Shachar Shimonovich, 05-08; (WU/HHMI Fellowship ’07) screen to analyze 1360 role; tech, then med school Tel Aviv Sackler Am Prog.
Alejandra Figueroa-Clarevega, 05-07; role of 1360 in heterochromatin. Tech at the Stowers Institute; planning grad school thereafter; Gilliam Fellowship, HHMI, 2008. PhD student, UC Berkeley.
Wilson Leung, ’05-present; analysis of Drosophila dot chromosomes.
Michelle Itano, 05-06: sequencing & analysis of D. virilis dot chromosome (WU/HHMI Fellow, ’05). Ph.D. student, University of North Carolina.
Amy Wu, 04-07; screen to analyze 1360 role. Attending law school 9/07.
Miriam Wiegand, 04-06: heterochromatin elements on chromosome 4 (screen).
Kelli Grim, 04-06: heterochromatin elements on chromosome 4 (screen); mutation in VIG2 (WU/HHMI Fellow, ’05). MD student at Baylor.
Gladys Mensah, 03-06: heterochromatin elements on chromosome 4 (screen, DNA analysis) (WU/HHMI Fellow, ’05). Post-bac studies, University of Houston.
Kwame Adu-Wusu, 03-05: Analysis of mutations in HP2 (WU/HHMI Fellow, ’04). MD student at Case-Western Reserve.
Laila Saied, 03-05: Analysis of RNAi components affecting heterochromatin formation in tissue culture cells (Biomed Eng NIH fellowship, ’04). MD student at Indiana (Internal Medicine).
Adrian Baudy, summer 03; participation in screen, 4th chromosome.
Alissa Anderson, 02- 03 : Screen for GAGA factor-interacting loci (WU/HHMI Fellow, ’02). Lab Technician with Doug Chalker; PhD program, Chicago
Rachel Shevchek, 02- 04: Comparison of dot chromosome sequences (Biomed Eng NIH fellowship, ’02). MD from Baylor.
Noelle Holmes, summer 02: impact of HP2 mutations on chromosome morphology (WU/HHMI Prefreshman Fellow).
Laura Ruhl, 00 – 01: HP2 of Drosophila virilis; current year in Africa, then to medical school.
Ann Beckert, summer 00, 01, 02: Screening for new insertions into chromosome 4; environmental sciences, Tulane.
Elizabeth Slawson, 99 – 03: Mutations in HP2; HP2 of Drosophila virilis (WU/HHMI Fellow ’02; travel award). Technician and TA, Elgin lab, 03-05; PhD program at UC Berkeley.
Cory Simpson, 99 -03: Organization of chromosome 4, mutations in HP2 (WU/HHMI Fellow ’02; travel award; senior thesis, Spector Prize). MD/PhD student, Northwestern University.
Brandi Thompson*, 98-02: Mutations in HP2 (WU/HHMI Fellow ’00); PhD student, University of Michigan.
William Wooten, summer 99: Interaction of HP1 and HP2 in Drosophila (WU/HHMI Prefreshman Fellow).
Liza Colclazier, summers 98, 99: Screening for new insertions into chromosome 4.
Shinkai Hakimi, spring 98: Characterization of the trl gene in D. virilis.
John Bernat, 95-99: Interactions of chromosomal proteins in gene silencing: towards a test of spatial organization in the Drosophila nucleus (Stalker Prize, ’99; WU/HHMI Fellow ’98; WU/HHMI Prefreshman Fellow, ’95); MD/PhD, U Michigan.
Peter Weitzel, summers 96-99: Mapping chromatin domains in the fourth chromosome of D. melanogaster (WU/HHMI Fellow, ’99); high school teacher.
Dora Basu, summer 96: Interactions between heterochromatin proteins (WU/HHMI Prefreshman Fellow).
Matt Cuaycong, 95-99 (BA/MA): Chromatin structure of silenced genes (WU/HHMI Fellow, ’96); MD program, UMDNJ- The New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
Levi Funches*, 95-98: HP1-HP2 interactions tested in yeast (NIH Minority Supplement, WU/HHMI Fellow ’97); MD, Johns Hopkins; resident in pediatrics in Chicago.
Deepti Talwar, 94-95: Yeast two-hybrid screen for proteins interacting with HP1; Technician, Baylor
Vamsi Guntur, 93-95: Characterization of variegating transgenes in Drosophila; St. George’s University School of Medicine
Jon Gibbons, summer 1993: Screen for variegating transgenic lines; MD from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 1999.
Mara Wilderspin, 92-94: Mutations in HP1 (WU/HHMI Fellow, ’94).
Lisa Rosman, 92-94: Characterization of variegating transgenes in Drosophila; MD from Rush Medical College, Chicago, 2000.
Andrea Holmes, 92-94: GAGA factor binding and DNA bending (WU/HHMI Fellow, ’93); Outreach Director, Human Genome Project, WU
Sandeep Pulim (91-95): Characterization of the regulatory region of the hsp26 gene in D. virilis; St. George’e University School of Medicine
Kevin Mitchell, summer 91: Constructing mutations in hsp26; PhD program, Biology, Stanford.
Otobia Dimson*, 90-92: Distribution studies of HP1 (NSF REU; WU/HHMI Fellow); Medical College of Wisconsin.
Benjamin Abella, 90-91: Drosophila telomeres; MD, Johns Hopkins.
Tim Wescott, 89-91: Purification of Drosophila H2AvD (NSF REU); PhD program, Chemistry, Rutgers.
Audrey Hobson, summer 88: Distribution of HP1; PhD program, Genetics, Trinity, Dublin
Scott Fretzin, 88- 89: Cloning of the H3.3 gene of D. melanogaster; MD program, U Chicago
Christina Lee, 85-86: Investigations of Drosophila histone H1; PhD program, UCSF.
Santa Suryaraman, 84-86: Sites of topoisomerase II activity and matrix attachment at the 67B1 l ocus of D. melanogaster. MD from UCSF.
Jorge Giraldo, 84-85.
Jacalyn Weissman, 84-85: S1 sensitive site in Drosophila locus 67B; entered medical school.
Fred Gross, 83-84: Bleomycin as a probe for DNA sequence organization and chromatin structure.
Harvard
Abram Gabriel, 76-77: On the relationship between chromosomal proteins and gene expression.
Thomas Ashley, 75-76: The role of histones in transcription.
Caltech
Flora C. Wu, 72-73: Comparative studies of nonhistone chromosomal proteins; currently practicing MD.
James Garrels, 70-71: A histone protease of rat liver chromatin; received PhD; Incyte Genomics.
Todd Reynales*, summer ’71: Template activity of chromatin.
Robin Dore, summer ’70: Chromatin fractionation.
Jeffrey Selzer, summer ’69: Nonhistone chromosomal proteins of chick liver and erythrocyte.
High school students and teachers (8)
Elmer Kellman, summer 2003, 2004: cloning from the dot chromosome of Drosophila littoralis (teacher, Parkway)
Karman Mak, summer 95, AY 95-96: analysis of chromosomal proteins on polytene chromosomes (student, Parkway Central High School)
Todd Gienke, summer 95 (teacher, Whittfield High School)
Kathy Moreno, summer 94 (teacher, Wentzville High School)
Isey White*, AY 93-94 (student, Rosati Kain High School)
Tara Killebrew, summers 92, 93: distribution of HP1 in different Drosophila species (student, University City High School)
Michael Roberson*, summer (student, University City High School)
Mara Wilderspin, summer ’91 (student, University City High School)