
- Title Professor of Biology
- Education PhD, University of California, Berkeley
- Web Address http://www.bu.edu/nf-kb/the-gilmore-lab/
- Email gilmore@bu.edu
- Phone 617-353-5444
- Area of Interest molecular biology, cell biology, signal transduction, cancer, molecular ecology
- CV
Current Research
The research in our lab is carried out by a team of graduate and undergraduate researchers. The research primarily focuses on the role of signal transduction pathways in normal and disease physiology. Much of our research involved projects centered on transcription factor NF-κB. In one project, we seek to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which altered NF-κB activity contributes to a variety of human diseases, especially lymphoid cell cancers and immunodeficiencies. For example, we have found that many human B-cell lymphomas have chronically high levels of nuclear NF-κB activity that is required for their growth and survival. Conversely, some human immunodeficiency diseases are due to mutations that reduced NF-κB signaling in response to cytokines or pathogens.
In current collaborative studies with Drs. Adrian Whitty and Karen Allen in the Chemistry Department at BU, we are characterizing the structure and function of the protein NEMO, which is an upstream scaffold protein in the NF-κB pathway and is mutated in certain human immunodeficiencies. We have recently found that NEMO normally undergoes a conformational change that is required for its signaling activity and that some human disease mutations affect the ability of NEMO to undergo this conformational change. For some of these studies, we are using cell lines with novel CRISPR-based genome editing of the NEMO gene.
We are also studying the evolutionary origins of the NF-κB pathway by characterizing NF-κB genes and proteins in simple marine organisms, such as the sea anemones, corals, and sponges. This research has relevance to the mechanisms by which simple marine organisms maintain symbiotic relationships with required algae and how they deal with the environmental stress that is currently impacting sensitive marine ecosystems. These studies are being carried out in collaboration with Drs. Sarah Davies, John Finnerty, and Trevor Siggers (Biology Department, Boston University).
Selected Publications
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Inge M.M., R. Miller, H. Hook, D. Bray, J.L. Keenan, R. Zhao, T.D. Gilmore, and T. Siggers. (2024). Rapid profiling of transcription factor-cofactor interaction networks reveals principles of epigenetic regulation. Nucleic Acids Research 52: 10276-10296
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Valdez-Ingersoll M., P.J. Aguirre Carrión, C. Bodnar, N.A. Desai, T.D. Gilmore, and S.W. Davies (2024). Starvation differentially affects gene expression, immunity, and pathogen susceptibility across symbiotic states in a model cnidarian. Proceedings of the Royal Academy B: Biological Sciences 291:20231685.
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DiRusso C.J., A.M. DeMaria, J. Wong, W. Wang, J.J. Jordanides, A. Whitty, K.N. Allen, and T.D. Gilmore (2023). A conserved core region of the scaffold NEMO is essential for a signal-induced conformational change and liquid-liquid phase separation. Journal of Biological Chemistry 99:105396.
- Aguirre Carrión P.J., N. Desai, J.J. Brennan, J. Fifer, T. Siggers, S.W. Davies, and T.D. Gilmore (2023). Starvation decreases immunity and immune regulatory factor NF-κB in the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Communications Biology 6:698.
- Williams L.M. and T.D. Gilmore (2022) An innate ability: how do basal invertebrates manage their chronic exposure to microbes? PLoS Pathogens 18:e1010897.
- DiRusso C.J., M. Dhastiahangar, and T.D. Gilmore (2022). Scaffold proteins as dynamic integrators of biological processes. Journal of Biological Chemistry 298:102628.
- Williams L.M., S. Sridhar, J. Samaroo, J. Peart, E.K. Adindo, A. Addanki, C.J. DiRusso, BB522 Molecular Biology Laboratory, P.J. Aguirre Carrión, N. Rodriguez-Sastre, T. Siggers, and T.D. Gilmore (2021). Comparison of NF-κB from the protists Capsaspora owczarzaki and Acanthoeca spectabilis reveals extensive evolutionary diversification of this transcription factor. Communications Biology 4:1404.
- Brennan J.J., J.L. Messerschmidt, L.M. Williams, B.J. Matthews, M. Reynoso, and T.D. Gilmore (2017). Sea anemone model has a single Toll-like receptor that can function in pathogen detection, NF-kB signal transduction, and development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 114:E10122-E10131.
Courses Taught:
- BB522 Molecular Biology Laboratory
- BI576 Carcinogenesis