The Bresnick Laboratory
Faculty > Emery H. Bresnick
Emery H. Bresnick
Professor, Cell and Regenerative Biology
ehbresni@wisc.edu
Emery Bresnick Cell & Regenerative Biology web page
Emery Bresnick Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology Graduate Training Program web page
Organ System/Disease Focus
Hematology and vascular biology
Aligned Research Focus
Basic stem cell science; hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells
Research Description
We use multidisciplinary approaches to understand stem/progenitor cell function, blood cell development, and vascular biology. Such approaches include genomics, proteomics, chemical genetics, embryonic stem cell differentiation, computational analysis, and traditional methodologies.
In addition to elucidating biological principles, we aim to develop innovative therapeutic strategies based on targeting novel mechanisms.
Projects relevant to stem cell biology/regenerative medicine include:
- Mechanisms of hematopoiesis:
Defining such mechanisms has enormous importance, as deviations from hematopoietic programs yield leukemias, lymphomas and additional blood disorders. We are analyzing the function/regulation of GATA factors that control hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and hematopoiesis. Transcriptional profiling and ChIPchip analysis have identified a cohort of novel GATA factor target genes, including genes encoding proteins that bear no obvious similarity to known proteins. Loss-of-function and gain-of-function studies are being conducted in mice, zebrafish, and embryonic stem cells engineered to conditionally express GATA-2 to elucidate GATA factor networks in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. - Novel angiogenic mechanisms and vascular engineering:
Based on our discovery of an endogenous suppressor of angiogenesis, we are exploiting fundamental knowledge on angiogenic mechanisms to develop efficient approaches to promote the vascularization of engineered tissues.
Selected References
Scherzer CR, Grass JA, Liao Z, Pepivani I, Zheng B, Eklund AC, Ney PA, Ng J, McGoldrick M, Mollenhauer B, Bresnick EH, Schlossmacher MG, GATA transcription factors directly regulate the Parkinson's disease-linked gene alpha-synuclein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Aug 5;105(31):10907-12.
Kim SI, Bultman SJ, Kiefer CM, Dean A, Bresnick EH, BRG1 requirement for long-range interaction of a locus control region with a downstream promoter. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Feb 17;106(7):2259-64.
Wozniak RJ, Keles S, Lugus JJ, Young KH, Boyer ME, Tran TM, Choi K, Bresnick EH., Molecular hallmarks of endogenous chromatin complexes containing master regulators of hematopoiesis. Mol Cell Biol. 2008 Nov;28(21):6681-94.
Fujiwara, T., O'Geen, H., Keles, S., Blahnik, K., Linnemann, A.K., Kang, Y.-A., Choi, K., Farnham, P.J., and Bresnick, E.H. (2009) Discovering hematopoietic mechanisms through genome-wide analysis of GATA factor chromatin occupancy. Molecular Cell 36, 667-681
Lee, H.Y., Johnson, K.R., Fujiwara, T., Boyer, M.E., and Bresnick, E.H. (2009) Controlling Hematopoiesis Through Sumoylation-Dependent Regulation of a GATA Factor. Molecular Cell, In Press