Director, Research and Professor
Ph.D., Rutgers University, 1980

Cell biology; gene expression; nuclear structure; microscopy; non-coding RNAs

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Research in my laboratory centers on understanding the spatial organization and regulation of gene expression. Our studies are focused in 2 main arenas: live cell imaging of gene expression and non-coding RNAs.

We have developed a live-cell gene expression system allowing us to visualize a stably integrated regulatable genetic locus, and follow in real-time transcription of that locus, including visualization of its mRNA and protein products in living cells. Using this system we are examining the recruitment of members of the gene expression and silencing machineries. In addition, we are studying the exchange of critical factors at the site of this specific gene locus as it enters into and exits from mitosis.

A second focus of my laboratory is to identify novel mechanisms of regulating gene expression with the ultimate goal of developing new approaches to understand and treat disease. We are focusing our efforts on a class of non-coding RNAs that are large (>1 kb) and retained in the nuclei of mammalian cells. We suggest that within this class of large non-coding RNAs will be found a diverse group of key regulatory molecules that will provide significant insight into basic cellular functions, developmental regulation, and disease. Such non-coding RNAs may play a much more crucial role in physiological and pathological processes than currently anticipated. For example, mutations in non-coding regulatory RNAs may give rise to some of the phenotypes associated with specific diseases by altering gene expression at a specific locus or at a more global level. We are currently pursuing the function of several of these nuclear retained non-coding RNAs and are developing screens to elucidate others.

Please visit the Spector Laboratory home page.

Selected Publications

Sunwoo, H., Dinger, M.E., Wilusz, J.E., Amaral, P.P, Mattick, J.S. and Spector, D.L. 2009. MEN ε / β nuclear retained non-coding RNAs are up-regulated upon muscle differentiation and are essential components of paraspeckles. Genome Res. 19: 347-359.

Wilusz, J.E., Freier, S.M., and Spector, D.L. 2008. 3’ end processing of a long nuclear-retained non-coding RNA yields a tRNA-like cytoplasmic RNA. Cell 135: 919-932.

Kumaran, R.I. and Spector, D.L. 2008. A genetic locus targeted to the nuclear periphery in living cells maintains its transcriptional competence. J. Cell Biol. 180: 51-65.

Prasanth,K.V., Prasanth, S.G., Xuan, Z., Hearn, S., Freier, S.M., Bennett, C.F., Zhang, M.Q., and Spector, D.L. 2005. Regulating gene expression through RNA nuclear retention. Cell 123: 249–263.

Janicki, S.M., Tsukamoto, T., Salghetti, S.E., Tansey, W.P., Sachidanandam, R., Prasanth, R.V., Ried, T., Shav-Tal, E., Bertrand, E., Singer, R.H., and Spector, D.L. 2004. From silencing to gene expression: Real-time analysis in single cells. Cell 116: 683–698.