Mary E. Delany
Professor, Developmental Genetics
medelany@ucdavis.edu


Office
2223B Meyer Hall
752-1252


Picture of Mary E. Delany
 
Degrees:
1987 PhD Cornell University, Ithaca NY
1984 MS Cornell University, Ithaca NY
1979 BS Montclair State College, Montclair NJ
Research Interests:

My laboratory research focuses on avian telomere biology, with chicken being the primary organism under study. Our studies concentrate on the organization, inheritance, regulation and stability of telomere array organization in normal, immortalized and transformed cell systems, both in vitro and in vivo. Telomere stability is one of the most significant genetic mechanisms controlling overall genome stability and influencing cellular proliferation, senescence and transformation. Current projects include analysis of the regulation and function of the telomere-telomerase pathway during oncogenesis induced by Marek’s disease virus (MDV), a DNA herpes virus which induces T-cell lymphomas and results in a high level of mortality. This particular disease is a problem of enormous significance for the poultry industry. MDV infection and disease in chickens also serves as a model system for human herpes virus infection and disease conditions (e.g., Burkitt’s lymphoma caused by Epstein Barr virus). Students studying in the lab (M.S. and Ph.D.) are trained in the disciplines of genetics, cytogenetics, and genomics with an emphasis on avian systems as well as comparative vertebrate biology. Research and technology levels range from molecular and cellular to the organismal. Other interests and areas of research include gene mapping and chromosome organization, congenital and inherited developmental mutations, and conservation of poultry and avian genetic resources.
CBS Graduate Group Affiliations:
Genetics  
Graduate Groups not Housed in CBS:
Animal Biology, Avian Sciences  
Publications:
  • Delany, M.E., L.M. Daniels, T.M. Gessaro, and K.L. Rodrigue. 2007. Chromosomal mapping of chicken mega-telomere arrays to GGA9, 16, 28 and W using a cytogenomic approach. Cytogenetic and Genome Research 117:54-63.
  • van de Lavoir M.-C., Diamond, J.H., Leighton, P.A., Mather-Love, C., Heyer, B.S., Bradshaw, R., Kerchner, A., Hooi, L.T., Gessaro, T., Swanberg, S.E., Delany, M.E., and Etches, R.J. 2006. Germline transmission of genetically modified primordial germ cells. Nature 441: 766-769.
  • Chang, H., and M.E. Delany. 2006. Complicated RNA splicing of chicken telomerase reverse transcriptase revealed by profiling cells both positive and negative for telomerase activity. Gene 379:33-39.
  • Swanberg, S.E. and M.E. Delany. 2006. Telomeres in aging: Birds. In Handbook of Models for Human Aging (editor: M. Conn), Chapter 29, p. 339-349. Academic Press (Elsevier, Inc.). Burlington MA (USA).
  • O'Hare, T.H., and M.E. Delany. 2005. Telomerase gene expression in the chicken: telomerase RNA (TR) and reverse transcriptase (TERT) transcript profiles are tissue-specific and correlated with telomerase activity. AGE 27:257-266.
  • International Chicken Genome Sequencing Consortium. 2004. Sequence and comparative analysis of the chicken genome provide unique perspectives on vertebrate evolution. Nature 432:695-716.
  • Delany, M.E., and L.M. Daniels. 2004. The chicken telomerase reverse transcriptase (chTERT): Molecular and cytogenetic characterization with a comparative analysis. Gene 339:61-69.
  • Delany, M.E., and L.M. Daniels. 2003. The chicken telomerase RNA gene: Conservation of sequence, regulatory elements and synteny among viral, avian and mammalian genomes. Cytogenetic and Genome Research 102:309-317.
Teaching Interests:
Courses are as listed below. The undergraduate courses include laboratories designed to complement lectures and provide students with "hands-on" experiences.
Courses:
ANG 101 Animal Cytogenetics Spring
AVS 103 Avian Development and Genetics Fall
ABG 200B Integrated Animal Biology Winter