Christopher Hammell
Associate Professor
Cancer Center Member
Ph.D., Dartmouth Medical School, 2002
chammell@cshl.edu | 516-367-5207
Faculty ProfileAs organisms develop, genes turn on and off with a precise order and timing, much like the order and duration of notes in a song. My group uses model organisms to understand the molecules that control the tempo of development. We also study how changes in the timing of gene expression contribute to diseases like cancer.
Christopher Hammell’s lab is interested in understanding gene regulatory processes that give rise to robust phenotypes associated with normal development in animals (specifically, how the timing of developmental processes is controlled) as well as the alterations in these pathways that give rise to diseases such as cancer (as in the alterations in mitogenic pathways in melanoma). Hammell and colleagues approach this elemental problem by using a variety of model organisms and patient-derived cancer cell lines. To directly identify the components that function in controlling normal developmental timing, they use the small nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, applying forward and reverse genetic approaches. In contrast to the extreme robustness of cell-fate lineage in C. elegans, in which specification of developmental programs is hard-wired, mutations that alter conserved signaling pathways in melanoma create relatively plastic developmental landscapes that allow these lesions to become aggressive tumors. Notably, the gene regulatory architecture of melanoma cells allows them to acquire resistance to therapeutic agents. Hammell’s team is interested in epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to resistance, specifically dramatic changes in gene expression patterns and intracellular signaling pathways. They are performing high-throughput screens to identify cellular factors that allow these re-wiring events to occur, with the idea that these components would make ideal therapeutic targets to complement existing clinical strategies.
CSHL 19th graduating class celebrated
May 2, 2022
In May 2022, the CSHL School of Biological Sciences awarded 10 Doctor of Philosophy degrees and two honorary degrees.
URP: Summer camp for undergrads
July 29, 2021
The Undergraduate Research Program brings college students from around the world to CSHL for a summer of research and fun.
How roundworms decide the time is right
December 22, 2020
Roundworm embryos calibrate the speed of their development to environmental conditions. A similar system may go wrong in some cancers.
Rally for medical research Capitol Hill Day
September 30, 2014
Cristina Aguirre-Chen, Ph.D., a postdoc in Assistant Professor Chris Hammell’s lab discusses her experience at the Rally for Medical Research.
In development, it’s all about the timing
July 17, 2014
Closely related organisms share most of their genes, but these similarities belie major differences in behavior, intelligence, and physical appearance
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Dr. Christopher Hammell named 2012 Rita Allen Foundation Scholar
June 1, 2012
Christopher Hammell, Ph.D., is one of seven 2012 Rita Allen Foundation scholars announced today.
All Publications
PQN-59 antagonizes microRNA-mediated repression during post-embryonic temporal patterning and modulates translation and stress granule formation in C. elegans
Nov 2021 | PLoS Genetics | 17(11):e1009599
Carlston, Colleen, Weinmann, Robin, Stec, Natalia, Abbatemarco, Simona, Schwager, Francoise, Wang, Jing, Ouyang, Huiwu, Ewald, Collin, Gotta, Monica, Hammell, Christopher
PQN-59 and GTBP-1 contribute to stress granule formation but are not essential for their assembly in C. elegans embryos
18 Oct 2021 | Journal of Cell Science
Abbatemarco, Simona, Bondaz, Alexandra, Schwager, Francoise, Wang, Jing, Hammell, Christopher, Gotta, Monica
An engineered, orthogonal auxin analog/AtTIR1(F79G) pairing improves both specificity and efficacy of the auxin degradation system in Caenorhabditis elegans
12 Oct 2021 | Genetics: a periodical record of investigations bearing on heredity and variation
Hills-Muckey, Kelly, Martinez, Michael, Stec, Natalia, Hebbar, Shilpa, Saldanha, Joanne, Medwig-Kinney, Taylor, Moore, Frances, Ivanova, Maria, Morao, Ana, Ward, J, Moss, Eric, Ercan, Sevinc, Zinovyeva, Anna, Matus, David, Hammell, Christopher
The UBAP2L ortholog PQN-59 contributes to stress granule assembly and development in C. elegans
16 Apr 2021 | bioRxiv
Abbatemarco, Simona, Bondaz, Alexandra, Schwager, Francoise, Wang, Jing, Hammell, Christopher, Gotta, Monica
An Epigenetic Priming Mechanism Mediated by Nutrient Sensing Regulates Transcriptional Output during C. elegans Development
17 Dec 2020 | Current Biology
Stec, N, Doerfel, K, Hills-Muckey, K, Ettorre, V, Ercan, S, Keil, W, Hammell, C
An Epigenetic Priming Mechanism Mediated by Nutrient Sensing Regulates Transcriptional Output
3 Sep 2020 | bioRxiv
Stec, Natalia, Doerfel, Katja, Hills-Muckey, Kelly, Ettorre, Victoria, Ercan, Sevinc, Keil, Wolfgang, Hammell, C
A Caenorhabditis elegans Model for Integrating the Functions of Neuropsychiatric Risk Genes Identifies Components Required for Normal Dendritic Morphology
4 May 2020 | G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics | 10(5):1617-1628
Aguirre-Chen, C, Stec, N, Ramos, O, Kim, N, Kramer, M, McCarthy, S, Gillis, J, McCombie, W, Hammell, C
Rapid Degradation of Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins at Single-Cell Resolution with a Synthetic Auxin
7 Jan 2020 | G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics | 10(1):267-280
Martinez, M, Kinney, B, Medwig-Kinney, T, Ashley, G, Ragle, J, Johnson, L, Aguilera, J, Hammell, C, Ward, J, Matus, D
Rapid degradation of C. elegans proteins at single-cell resolution with a synthetic auxin
27 Jul 2019 | bioRxiv
Martinez, Michael, Kinney, Brian, Medwig-Kinney, Taylor, Ashley, Guinevere, Ragle, James, Johnson, Londen, Aguilera, Joseph, Hammell, Christopher, Ward, Jordan, Matus, David
Inducing RNAi in Caenorhabditis elegans by Injection of dsRNA.
4 Jan 2016 | Cold Spring Harbor protocols | 2016(1):pdb.prot086306
Hammell, Christopher, Hannon, Gregory