LeAnn Howe
Professor
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Faculty of Medicine
Education
CIHR Post-Doctoral Fellow, Pennsylvania State University, 2003
University of Victoria, 1998, PhD
University of Victoria, 1992, BSc
Contact
Office: Life Sciences Centre, 5509
Office Phone: (604) 822–6297
Lab Phone: (604) 822–3427
E-mail: ljhowe@mail.ubc.ca
Website: http://meg.lsi.ubc.ca/current-membership/dr-leann-howe/
Research Interest
In multicellular organisms, the unique transcriptional program executed by each cell determines cellular identity. Indeed aberrant gene expression is a causal factor in many common human diseases, including cancer. While the availability of appropriate transcriptional activators or repressors determines whether a gene is transcribed, alteration of chromatin structure plays an important role in maintaining gene expression states. Chromatin is a nucleoprotein structure, consisting of DNA, histones, and non-histone proteins, which packages DNA in the eukaryotic nucleus. Our research uses a combination of molecular biology and bioinformatics to study the roles played by histones, histone chaperones, histone variants, and histone post-translational modifications in preserving active gene expression patterns.
Comprehensive List
Selected Publications
- Martin BJE, Brind’Amour J, Kuzmin A, Jensen KN, Liu ZC, Lorincz M, Howe LJ. Transcription shapes genome-wide histone acetylation patterns. Nat Commun. 2021 Jan 11;12(1):210. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-20543-z. PMID: 33431884; PMCID: PMC7801501.
- Martin BJE, Chruscicki AT, Howe LJ. Transcription Promotes the Interaction of the FAcilitates Chromatin Transactions (FACT) Complex with Nucleosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics. 2018 Nov;210(3):869-881. doi: 10.1534/genetics.118.301349. Epub 2018 Sep 20. PMID: 30237209; PMCID: PMC6218215.
- Irwin NAT, Martin BJE, Young BP, Browne MJG, Flaus A, Loewen CJR, Keeling PJ, Howe LJ. Viral proteins as a potential driver of histone depletion in dinoflagellates. Nat Commun. 2018 Apr 18;9(1):1535. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03993-4. PMID: 29670105; PMCID: PMC5906630.
- Lawrence MBD, Coutin N, Choi JK, Martin BJE, Irwin NAT, Young B, Loewen C, Howe LJ. Histone Acetylation, Not Stoichiometry, Regulates Linker Histone Binding in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics. 2017 Sep;207(1):347-355. doi: 10.1534/genetics.117.1132. Epub 2017 Jul 24. PMID: 28739661; PMCID: PMC5586383.
- Martin BJ, McBurney KL, Maltby VE, Jensen KN, Brind’Amour J, Howe LJ. Histone H3K4 and H3K36 Methylation Independently Recruit the NuA3 Histone Acetyltransferase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics. 2017 Mar;205(3):1113-1123. doi: 10.1534/genetics.116.199422. Epub 2017 Jan 20. PMID: 28108585; PMCID: PMC5340327.