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University of Wisconsin Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Center

Karen Dyer Montgomery

Faculty Karen Dyer Montgomery

Linda Hogle
Karen Dyer Montgomery

Karen Dyer Montgomery
Laboratory Director, Cytogenetics Department (WiCell)
kdmontgomery@wisc.edu

Research Description

  • Chromosome breakage, cell survival, and gene expression related to heavy metals and pesticide exposure of lymphoblastoid and pluripotent cells in culture. This project assesses the activity of environmentally relevant levels of specific heavy metals (e.g. cobalt, arsenic), pesticides, and jet fuels (individually and in combination), in causing global changes in chromosome structure, and defines the mechanisms by which these changes occur.
  • Genetic instability in human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. This project profiles cytogenetic changes in cultures of hES and iPS cells by classic chromosome analysis and by array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH).
  • Maintenance of X-inactivation in iPS cells. This project characterizes the activity of genes that reflect X-inactivation to determine if patterns are re-set by inducing pluripotency.

    • Selected References

    Hu K, Yu J, Suknuntha K, Tian S, Montgomery K, Choi K-D, Stewart R, Thomson J, Slukvin I. Efficient generation of transgene-free induced pluripotent stem cells from normal and neoplastic bone marrow and cord blood mononuclear cells. Blood: February 4, 2011.

    Taapken SM, Nisler BS, Newton M, Sampsell-Barron TL, Leonhard K, McIntire E, Montgomery KD,. Karyotypic abnormalities in human induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Nature Biotechnology 29:313-314, 2011. .

    Howden SE, Gore A, Li Z, Fung H-L, Nisler BS, Nie J, Chen G, McIntosh BE, Gulbranson DR, Diol NR, Taakpen SM, Vereide DT, Montgomery KD,, Zhang K, Gamm DM, Thomson JA. Genetic correction and analysis of induced pluripotent stem cells from s a patient with gyrate atrophy. PNAS 108:6537-6542, 2011. .

    Martins-Taylor K, Nisler BS, Taapken SM, Compton T, Crandall L, Montgomery KD,, Lalande M, Xu R-H. Recurrent copy number variations in human induced pluripotent stem cells. Nature Biotechnology 29:488-491, 2011. .

    The International Stem Cell Initiative. Screening ethnically diverse human embryonic stem cells identifies a chromosome 20 minimal amplicon conferring growth advantage. Nature Biotechnology 29:1132-1146, 2011. .