Neil Hunter
Professor
nhunter@ucdavis.edu

Microbiology
Molecular & Cellular Biology
Cell Biology & Human Anatomy

Office
347C, Briggs Hall
(530) 754-4401

Lab
(530) 754-4391


Picture of Neil Hunter
 
Degrees:
1996 PhD Wolfson College, Oxford University, Oxford (UK) Genetics
1992 BS University of Manchester (UK) Biochemistry and Applied Molecular Biology
Research Interests:

Molecular, genetic and cytological approaches to understanding the mechanism and regulation of homologous recombination with respect chromosome transmission and genome instability.
Awards:
1997-2001 Wellcome Trust - Prize Travelling Postdoctoral Fellowship
1993-1996 Wellcome Trust - Prize PhD Studentship
2003-2006 Damon Runyon Cancer Foundation - Scholar Award
2004-2006 Concern Foundation - Young Investigator Award
2005 March of Dimes - Basil O'Connor Award
2006 France-Berkeley Fund Award
2007 UCD Mutant Mouse Regional Resource Center Award
2009 Howard Hughes Medical Institute - Early Career Scientist
Department and Center Affiliations:
UC Davis Cancer Center
Molecular & Cellular Biology
Cell Biology & Human Anatonmy
Professional Societies:
The Genetics Society of America
American Association for the Advancement of Science
CBS Graduate Group Affiliations:
Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology  
Genetics  
Graduate Groups not Housed in CBS:
Microbiology  
Publications:
  • Oh S.D., Lao, J.P. and Hunter, N. (2008). RecQ Helicase, Sgs1, and XPF-Family Endonuclease, Mus81-Mms4, Resolve Aberrant Joint Molecules During Meiotic Recombination. Molecular Cell 31, 324-336.
  • Hunter, N. (2008). Hop1 and the meiotic DNA-damage response. Cell 132, 731-732.
  • Hunter, N. (2008). The RecQ DNA helicases: Jacks-of all-trades or master-tradesmen? Cell Research 18, 328-330.
  • Lao, J.P, Oh, S.D., Shinohara, M., Shinohara, A. and Hunter, N. (2008). Rad52 promotes post-invasion steps of meiotic double-strand-break repair. Molecular Cell, 29, 517-524.
  • Shinohara, M, Oh, S.D., Hunter, N. and Shinohara, A. (2008). Crossover assurance and crossover interference are distinctly regulated by the ZMM/SIC proteins during meiosis. Nature Genetics, 40, 299-309.
  • Oh S.D., Lao, J.P., Hwang, P.Y-H., Taylor, A.F., Smith, G.R. and Hunter, N. (2007). Sgs1, a Bloom's helicase ortholog, prevents aberrant crossing-over by suppressing the formation of multichromatid joint molecules. Cell 130, 259-272.
  • Hunter, N. (2006). Meiotic Recombination. In, Molecular Genetics of Recombination, Aguilera, A. and Rothstein, R. (Eds), Topics in Current Genetics, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg.
  • Cromie, G. A., Hyppa, R. W., Taylor, A. F., Zakharyevich, K., Hunter, N., and Smith, G. R. (2006). Single Holliday Junctions are intermediates of meiotic recombination. Cell 127, 1167-1178.
  • Martini, E., Diaz, R.L., Hunter, N. and Keeney, S. (2006). Crossover homeostasis in yeast meiosis. Cell 126, 285-295.
  • Hunter, N. (2004). Meiosis. In, the Encyclopedia of Biological Chemistry, Lennarz, W. and Lane, M. (Eds), Elsevier Press, San Diego. pp 610-616.
  • Boerner, V.G., Kleckner, N. and Hunter, N. (2004). Crossover/noncrossover differentiation, synaptonemal complex formation and regulatory surveillance at the leptotene/zygotene transition of meiosis. Cell 117, 29-45.
  • de los Santos, T., Hunter, N., Lee, C., Larkin, B., Loidl, J., and Hollingsworth, N.M. (2003). The Mus81/Mms4 endonuclease acts independently of double-Holliday junction resolution to promote a distinct subset of crossovers during meiosis in budding yeast. Genetics, 164, 81-94.
  • Blat, Y., Protacio, R., Hunter, N. and Kleckner, N. (2002). Physical and functional interactions among basic chromosome organizational features govern early steps of meiotic chiasma formation. Cell, 111 791-802.
  • Hunter, N. and Kleckner, N. (2001). The single-end invasion: an asymmetric intermediate at the double-strand-break to double-Holliday junction transition of meiotic recombination. Cell 106, 59-70.
Laboratory Personnel:
347 & 351 Briggs Hall

Graduate Students: Patty Hwang, Jessica Lao, April Reynolds, Kseniya Zakharyevich. Junior Specialist: Emily Grau. Postdoctoral Fellows: Ye Yang, Yunmei Ma.

Teaching Interests:
Genetics. Chromosome biology. Genome instability and cancer biology.
Courses:
BIS 101 Genes and Gene Expression Winter
MIC 91/191 Introduction to Research Spring
MIC 276 Adv Concepts DNA Metab Spring