John Cunningham

My laboratory focuses on the role of transcription factors in regulating tissue-specific gene expression during vertebrate ontogeny. In a first area of interest, we are examining the molecular mechanisms by which stage-specific transcription factors regulate multigene loci, using the beta-globin gene locus and the erythroid gene differentiation program as models. Specifically, we are interested in the characterizing the co-factors that modulate specific events during chromatin remodeling and enhancer-promoter interactions. Evolving studies are grappling with the problems related to coordinate regulation of the hundreds of genes required for erythroid differentiation. In complementary experiments, we have recently embarked on addressing similar questions in the leukemic stem cell. In a second area of interest, we are exploring the role of transcription factors in cellular migration. Focusing our efforts on the grainy head family of transcription factors, we are seeking to understand their broad tissue and developmentally-specific role in ectodermal morphogenesis. We study these problems in mice and Xenopus, utilizing the complementary strengths of these systems to understand the role of these factors in the complex gene regulatory cascades that are characteristic of neural tube closure, neural crest development, and epidermal differentiation.

My laboratory focuses on the role of transcription factors in regulating tissue-specific gene expression during vertebrate ontogeny. In a first area of interest, we are examining the molecular mechanisms by which stage-specific transcription factors regulate multigene loci, using the beta-globin gene locus and the erythroid gene differentiation program as models. Specifically, we are interested in the characterizing the co-factors that modulate specific events during chromatin remodeling and enhancer-promoter interactions. Evolving studies are grappling with the problems related to coordinate regulation of the hundreds of genes required for erythroid differentiation. In complementary experiments, we have recently embarked on addressing similar questions in the leukemic stem cell. In a second area of interest, we are exploring the role of transcription factors in cellular migration. Focusing our efforts on the grainy head family of transcription factors, we are seeking to understand their broad tissue and developmentally-specific role in ectodermal morphogenesis. We study these problems in mice and Xenopus, utilizing the complementary strengths of these systems to understand the role of these factors in the complex gene regulatory cascades that are characteristic of neural tube closure, neural crest development, and epidermal...

Expression of the Arf tumor suppressor gene is controlled by Tgf{beta}2 during development. Freeman-Anderson NE, Zheng Y, McCalla-Martin AC, Treanor LM, Zhao YD, Garfin PM, He TC, Mary MN, Thornton JD, Anderson C, Gibbons M, Saab R, Baumer SH, Cunningham JM, Skapek SX. Development. 2009 Jun;136(12):2081-9.  

Hemolytic uremic syndrome after bone marrow transplantation: clinical characteristics and outcome in children. Hale GA, Bowman LC, Rochester RJ, Benaim E, Heslop HE, Krance RA, Horwitz EM, Cunningham JM, Tong X, Srivastava DK, Handgretinger R, Jones DP. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2005 Nov;11(11):912-20.  

Outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for pediatric patients with therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome. Woodard P, Barfield R, Hale G, Horwitz E, Leung W, Ribeiro R, Rubnitz J, Srivistava DK, Tong X, Yusuf U, Raimondi S, Pui CH, Handgretinger R, Cunningham JM. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2006 Dec;47(7):931-5  

Brain parenchymal damage after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe sickle cell disease. Woodard P, Helton KJ, Khan RB, Hale GA, Phipps S, Wang W, Handgretinger R, Cunningham JM. Br J Haematol. 2005 May;129(4):550-2.  

BMP4-dependent expression of Xenopus Grainyhead-like 1 is essential for epidermal differentiation. Tao J, Kuliyev E, Wang X, Li X, Wilanowski T, Jane SM, Mead PE, Cunningham JM. Development. 2005 Mar;132(5):1021-34.  

Defective extraembryonic angiogenesis in mice lacking LBP-1a, a member of the grainyhead family of transcription factors Parekh V, McEwen A, Barbour V, Takahashi Y, Rehg JE, Jane SM, Cunningham JM. Mol Cell Biol. 2004 Aug;24(16):7113-29.  

Encephalopathy in pediatric patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is associated with a poor prognosis. Woodard P, Helton K, McDaniel H, Khan RB, Thompson S, Hale G, Benaim E, Kasow K, Leung W, Horwitz E, Srivastava DK, Tong X, Yusuf U, Cunningham JM, Handgretinger R. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2004 Jun;33(11):1151-7.  

Effective donor lymphohematopoietic reconstitution after haploidentical CD34+-selected hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with refractory severe aplastic anemia. Woodard P, Cunningham JM, Benaim E, Chen X, Hale G, Horwitz E, Houston J, Kasow K, Leung W, Wang W, Yusuf U, Handgretinger R. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2004 Feb;33(4):411-8.  

Etiology and outcome of graft failure in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Woodard P, Tong X, Richardson S, Srivastava DK, Horwitz EM, Benaim E, Geiger T, Hale G, Leung W, Turner V, Yusuf U, Cunningham J, Handgretinger R. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2003 Dec;25(12):955-9  

Defects in T-cell-mediated immunity to influenza virus in murine Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome are corrected by oncoretroviral vector-mediated gene transfer into repopulating hematopoietic cells. Strom TS, Turner SJ, Andreansky S, Liu H, Doherty PC, Srivastava DK, Cunningham JM, Nienhuis AW. Blood. 2003 Nov 1;102(9):3108-16  

Expression of the Arf tumor suppressor gene is controlled by Tgf{beta}2 during development. Freeman-Anderson NE, Zheng Y, McCalla-Martin AC, Treanor LM, Zhao YD, Garfin PM, He TC, Mary MN, Thornton JD, Anderson C, Gibbons M, Saab R, Baumer SH, Cunningham JM, Skapek SX. Development. 2009 Jun;136(12):2081-9.  

Hemolytic uremic syndrome after bone marrow transplantation: clinical characteristics and outcome in children. Hale GA, Bowman LC, Rochester RJ, Benaim E, Heslop HE, Krance RA, Horwitz EM, Cunningham JM, Tong X, Srivastava DK, Handgretinger R, Jones DP. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2005 Nov;11(11):912-20.  

Outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for pediatric patients with therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome. Woodard P, Barfield R, Hale G, Horwitz E, Leung W, Ribeiro R, Rubnitz J, Srivistava DK, Tong X, Yusuf U, Raimondi S, Pui CH, Handgretinger R, Cunningham JM. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2006 Dec;47(7):931-5  

Brain parenchymal damage after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe sickle cell disease. Woodard P, Helton KJ, Khan RB, Hale GA, Phipps S, Wang W, Handgretinger R, Cunningham JM. Br J Haematol. 2005 May;129(4):550-2.  

BMP4-dependent expression of Xenopus Grainyhead-like 1 is essential for epidermal differentiation. Tao J, Kuliyev E, Wang X, Li X, Wilanowski T, Jane SM, Mead PE, Cunningham JM. Development. 2005 Mar;132(5):1021-34.