UW Genome Sciences

Research:

Our research focuses on two related fields: the genetic architecture of complex traits and the role of gene regulation and protein folding in generating heritable phenotypic variation. We advance complex trait genetics by ascertaining uncharacterized sequence variation and by resolving the relative importance of additive variation and epistasis in complex traits. Lastly, to improve the genotype- phenotype map, we envision molecular markers, applicable in any organism, that predict the penetrance of genetic variants in a given individual.

To advance our understanding of plant gene regulation, we build on our recent success in mapping the A. thaliana cis-regulatory landscape in response to heat and light, in specific cell types, and across divergent strains. Future projects emphasize the functional exploration of newly identified regulatory phenomena. Prompted by recent findings, we explore the role of prions as developmental switches in plants.

Selected Publications:

Carlson KD, Sudmant PH, Press MO, Eichler EE, Shendure J, Queitsch C. MIPSTR: a method for multiplex genotyping of germline and somatic STR variation across many individuals. Genome Res. 2015 Feb 6. pii: gr.182212.114. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 25659649.

Undurraga, SF, Press, MO, Legendre, M, Bujdoso, N, Bale, J, Wang, H, Davis SJ, Verstrepen, KJ, Queitsch, C. Background-dependent effects of polyglutamine variation in the Arabidopsis thaliana gene ELF3. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Nov 20;109(47):19363-7. PMID: 23129635

Queitsch C, Carlson, K, Girirajan, S. Lessons from model organisms: phenotypic robustness and missing heritability in complex disease. PLoS Genet. 2012;8(11):e1003041. PMID: 23166511

Lachowiec J, Lemus T, Thomas JH, Murphy PJ, Nemhauser JL, Queitsch C. The Protein Chaperone HSP90 Can Facilitate the Divergence of Gene Duplicates. Genetics. 2013 Apr;193(4):1269-77. PMID: 23410833

Press MO, Li H, Creanza N, Queitsch C, Sourjik V, Borenstein E. Genome-Scale Co-Evolutionary Inference Identifies Functions and Clients of Bacterial Hsp90. PLoS Genet. 2013 Jul;9(7):e1003631 PMID: 23874229

Liachko I, Youngblood RA, Tsui K, Bubb KL, Queitsch C, Raghuraman MK, Nislow C, Brewer BJ, Dunham MJ. GC-rich DNA elements enable replication origin activity in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. PLoS Genet. 2014 Mar 6;10(3):e1004169. PMID: 24603708

Rival P, Press MO, Bale J, Grancharova T, Undurraga SF, Queitsch C. The Conserved PFT1 Tandem Repeat is Crucial for Proper Flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana. Genetics. 2014 Oct;198(2):747-54. PMID: 2511613

Sullivan AM, Arsovski AA, Lempe J, Bubb KL, Weirauch MT, Sabo PJ, Sandstrom R, Thurman RE, Neph S, Reynolds AP, Stergachis AB, Vernot B, Johnson AK, Haugen E, Sullivan ST, Thompson A, Neri FV 3rd, Weaver M, Diegel M, Mnaimneh S, Yang A, Hughes TR, Nemhauser JL, Queitsch C, Stamatoyannopoulos JA. Mapping and Dynamics of Regulatory DNA and Transcription Factor Networks in A. thaliana. Cell Rep. 2014 Sep 25;8(6):2015-30. PMID: 25220462

Lachowiec J, Lemus T, Borenstein E, Queitsch C. Hsp90 Promotes Kinase Evolution. Mol Biol Evol. 2014 Sep 21. PMID: 252467015.

Carlson KD, Sudmant PH, Press MO, Eichler EE, Shendure J, Queitsch C. MIPSTR: a method for multiplex genotyping of germline and somatic STR variation across many individuals. Genome research. In press. bioRxivdoi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/007500

Lempe J, Lachowiec J, Sullivan AM, Queitsch C. Molecular mechanisms of robustness in plants.
Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2013 Feb;16(1):62-9. PMID: 23279801

Rosenberg SM, Queitsch C. Combating evolution to fight disease. Science. 2014 Mar 7;343(6175):1088-9. PMID: 24604189

Press MO, Carlson KD, Queitsch C. The overdue promise of short tandem repeat variation for heritability. Trends Genet. 2014 Nov;30(11):504-512. PMID: 25182195