Paul Knoepfler
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
knoepfler@ucdavis.edu

Cell Biology & Human Anatomy

Office
Shriners Hospital Room 633A
916-453-2289


Picture of Paul Knoepfler
 
Degrees:
1998 PhD UC San Diego School of Medicine Molecular Pathology
Research Interests:

WHAT CONTROLS STEM CELL BIOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR? We are interested in answering this question about stem cells both during normal embryonic development but also during healing and regeneration. Further, we are analyzing how this control system goes awry during diseases such as developmental disorders and cancer. Our lab studies the molecular programming of embryonic and neural stem cells as well as cancer stem cells. MYC IN STEM CELLS. We have found that a particular group of proteins called the Myc family appear to be master regulators of stem cell function. These Myc proteins are not only of critical importance for the ability of stem cells to do their normal "job" but also when the Myc genes are present at too high a concentration in stem cells they cause many human cancers. However we don't have a clear understanding of how Myc genes control the normal function of stem cells in development and regeneration nor how an excess of Myc leads to cancer. Therefore studying Myc's function in stem cells may provide critical clues as to how stem cells can be used in regenerative medicine as well as how to do our best to avoid cancer as a side effect from stem cell based regenerative medicine. Finally, these studies of Myc function should also help us to better understand human cancer in a more general sense, hopefully moving us one step closer to novel cures and prevention methods. STEM CELL EPIGENETICS. We are also interested in a key Myc cofactor called GCN5, a histone acetyltransferase, as well as epigenetics more generally in terms of their roles in gene transcription, stem cell biology and cancer. IPS CELLS. A final area of interest are induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. iPS cells are a major advance in regenerative medicine, but many questions remain about these cells in terms of their properties, both positive and negative such as tumorigenicity. We also do not know how Myc stimulates iPS production.
Awards:
Lucille P. Markey Graduate Fellowship, 1993-1998
Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research, Post-Doctoral Fellowship 1998-2001
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Special Fellowship, 2002-2005
Howard Temin Award, NCI, 2005-2010
Brain Tumor Society, Leadership Chair of Research, 2007-9
March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award, 2008-10
California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) New Faculty Award 2008-2013
Department and Center Affiliations:
Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine/Shriners Hospital
UC Davis Cancer Center
UC Davis Genome Center
UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures
CBS Graduate Group Affiliations:
Neuroscience  
Genetics  
Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology  
Publications: Last updated 11/20/2009
  • Varlakhanova, NV, and Knoepfler PS. Acting locally and globally: Myc’s ever-expanding roles on chromatin. Cancer Research 2009 69:7487-90.
  • Cotterman R and Knoepfler PS. N-Myc regulates expression of pluripotency genes in neuroblastoma including lif, klf2, klf4, and lin28b. PLoS One 2009 4(6): e5799.
  • Knoepfler PS. Journal Club. A cell biologist looks at the risk and promise of a new insight into stem cells and cancer. Nature 2009. 457(228):361.
  • Knoepfler PS. Deconstructing stem cell tumorigenicity: a roadmap to safe regenerative medicine. Stem Cells 2009. 27(5): 1050-1056.
  • Laurenti E, Varnum-Finney B, Wilson A, Ferrero I, Blanco-Bose WE, Ehninger A, Knoepfler PS, Cheng PF, MacDonald R, Eisenman RN, Irwin D Bernstein ID, Trumpp A. Hematopoietic stem cell function and survival depend on c-Myc and N-Myc activity. In Press Cell Stem Cell 2008.
  • Knoepfler PS. Stem cells on the brain. Arch Neurology. 2008. 65(3): 311-315.
  • Laurenti E, Varnum-Finney B, Wilson A, Ferrero I, Blanco-Bose WE, Ehninger A, Knoepfler PS, Cheng PF, MacDonald R, Eisenman RN, Bernstein ID, Trumpp A. Hematopoietic stem cell function and survival depend on c-Myc and N-Myc activity. Cell Stem Cell 2008. 3(6): 611-624.
  • Cotterman R, Jin VX, Krig SR, Lemen JM, Wey A, Farnham PJ, and Knoepfler PS. N-Myc regulates a widespread euchromatic program in the human genome partially independent of its role as a classical transcription factor. Cancer Research 2008. 68(23): 9654-9662.
  • Martins RA, Zindy F, Donovan S, Zhang J, Pounds S, Wey A, Knoepfler PS, Eisenman RN, Roussel MF, and Dyer, MA. N-Myc coordinates retinal growth with eye size during mouse development. Genes and Development 2008. 22(2): 179-93.
  • Knoepfler PS. Why Myc? An unexpected ingredient in the stem cell cocktail. Cell Stem Cell. 2008. 2(1):18-21
Laboratory Personnel:
Rebecca Cotterman, Lab Manager



Natasha Varlakhanova, Post Doc Fellow



Agnieszka Laskowski, Graduate Student Researcher, CDB



John Riggs, SRA I



Marnie Morales, Graduate Student Researcher, Neuro



Jaime Connolly Rohrbach, Post-Doc Fellow



Vanessa Chan, Lab Assistant IV



Kelly Bush, SRA I