Contact Information
Research Areas
Research Interests
Research Topics
Chromatin Structure, Computational Biology, Genome Organization, Genomics, Regulation of Gene Expression, RNA Biology
Disease Research Interests
Cancer, Drug Discovery
Research Description
RNA polymerase III transcription, gene regulation, small noncoding RNA
RNA polymerase III (Pol III) transcribes genes encoding tRNA, 5S ribosomal RNA, and other classes of small noncoding RNA involved in translation and other critical processes. Pol III activity is a prerequisite for cell growth and is linked to nutrient availability and extracellular growth cues via oncogenic and tumor-suppressor signaling pathways. Aberrant activation of growth signaling factors can lead to elevated levels of Pol III transcription, a hallmark of cancer.
My lab uses genomic approaches to investigate Pol III transcription dynamics during differentiation and in response to extracellular cues and signaling events. We are particularly interested in understanding the regulatory mechanisms that promote or restrict Pol III activity and which underly Pol III dysregulation in cancer. Our recent work suggests that a specific Pol III subunit, POLR3G, which is highly expressed in proliferative cells and a myriad of cancer contexts, enhances Pol III transcription and drives expression of small NF90-associated (SNAR-A) noncoding RNA. We seek to better understand the mechanism of POLR3G-enhanced transcription, the function of SNAR-A and other Pol III-transcribed small RNA, and the role of POLR3G as a potential disease factor and future therapeutic target.
Education
B.S. 2009 University of Rochester
Ph.D. 2014 Emory University
Postdoc. 2015-2021 Stanford University School of Medicine
Awards and Honors
2019-2024 NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
2015-2018 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA F32)
Additional Campus Affiliations
External Links
Recent Publications
Cheng, R., Zhou, S., K C, R., Lizarazo, S., Mouli, L., Jayanth, A., Liu, Q., & Van Bortle, K. (2023). A Combinatorial Regulatory Platform Determines Expression of RNA Polymerase III Subunit RPC7α (POLR3G) in Cancer. Cancers, 15(20), Article 4995. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15204995
Cheng, R., & Van Bortle, K. (2023). RNA polymerase III transcription and cancer: A tale of two RPC7 subunits. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, 9, Article 1073795. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2022.1073795
Wang, N., Tsuruta, Y., Akiyama, M., van Balkom, I., Piane, M., LaRocque, J., Kanaan, M., Palau, F., Adams, D. J., Francastel, C., Natale, P., Goel, A., Mana, M., Pasmant, E., Williams, M., Christensen, K., Chen, S., Modi, Y. S., Jin, Z. B., ... Kreiling, J. (2023). Acknowledgment to reviewers of Journal of Translational Genetics and Genomics in 2022. Journal of Translational Genetics and Genomics, 7(1), 1-2. https://doi.org/10.20517/jtgg.2023.03
Zhou, S., & Van Bortle, K. (2023). The Pol III transcriptome: Basic features, recurrent patterns, and emerging roles in cancer. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: RNA, 14(5), Article e1782. https://doi.org/10.1002/wrna.1782
Roodgar, M., Suchy, F. P., Nguyen, L. H., Bajpai, V. K., Sinha, R., Vilches-Moure, J. G., Van Bortle, K., Bhadury, J., Metwally, A., Jiang, L., Jian, R., Chiang, R., Oikonomopoulos, A., Wu, J. C., Weissman, I. L., Mankowski, J. L., Holmes, S., Loh, K. M., Nakauchi, H., ... Snyder, M. P. (2022). Chimpanzee and pig-tailed macaque iPSCs: Improved culture and generation of primate cross-species embryos. Cell Reports, 40(9), Article 111264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111264
