Prof. Tamar Juven-Gershon
CV
Education
1988-1991 B.Sc. (Cum Laude)
Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel- Aviv, Israel
"Research Program for Excellence" of the Faculty of Life Sciences
1991-1993 M.Sc. (Cum Laude)
Dept. of Chemical Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
1994-2000 Ph.D.
Dept. of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
2000-2005 Postdoctoral Fellow
Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego
Positions
2022- present, Full Professor, The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
2015-2022, Associate Professor, The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
2009-2015, Senior Lecturer, The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
2005-2009, Assistant Project Scientist, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego.
Research
Molecular Studies of Transcription and Regulation of Developmental Genes
We study the molecular basis of the fascinating process by which our different body parts are formed during development.
The regulation of gene transcription is critical for the proper development and growth of an organism. The function of these genes is also crucial for us as adults; in the unfortunate event of malfunction, the end result might be cancer, such as leukemia.
Control elements that are embedded in the DNA sequences of genes are responsible for proper development. We study these DNA sequence elements and how they control different genes. Our analysis is important for understanding the regulation of development and complex systems.
We focus on the core promoter, which is generally defined to be the DNA region that directs the accurate initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. In the past, the core promoter has often been presumed to be a generic entity that functions by a single universal mechanism. Recent findings reveal that there is widespread diversity in core promoter structure and function. We have embarked on the identification of biological functions of core promoter motifs and the identification of core promoter-specific activators.
Our goal is to understand the complex regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. We focus on the unique contribution of the core promoter to transcriptional regulation of gene networks.
In our research, we use the fruit fly (scientifically known as Drosophila melanogaster), as our model organism. The fruit fly has been used as an excellent model for genetics and developmental biology for many years. Strikingly, at the molecular level, there is remarkable similarity between humans and flies. Practically, this means that studying the regulation of development in the fly can teach us a lot about the regulation in humans.
In our lab we combine methodologies of molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, bioinformatics and developmental biology.
Courses
80-558 Transcriptional Regulation in Eukaryotes
80-242 Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering
80-490 "Psagot" (combined B.Sc.-M.Sc. program for excellent students) 3rd year B.Sc. Seminar
80-994 "Psagot" (combined B.Sc.-M.Sc. program for excellent students) M.Sc. Research Seminar
Publications
1. Sloutskin, A.*, ‡, Itzhak, D.*, Vogler, G., Pozeilov, H., Ideses, D., Alter, H., Adato, O., Shachar, H., Doniger, D., Shohat-Ophir, G., Frasch, M., Bodmer, R., Duttke, S.H. and Juven-Gershon, T.‡ (2024) From promoter motif to cardiac function: A single DPE motif affects transcription regulation and organ function in vivo. Development, in press
*The first two authors contributed equally to this paper
‡ co-corresponding authors
2. Adato, O.*, Sloutskin, A.*, Komemi, H., Brabb, I., Duttke, S., Bucher, P., Unger, R. ‡, and Juven-Gershon, T. ‡ (2024) ElemeNT 2023: an enhanced tool for detection and curation of core promoter elements. Bioinformatics, btae110
*The first two authors contributed equally to this paper
‡ co-corresponding authors
3. Critical Assessment of Genome Interpretation Consortium (2024) CAGI, the Critical Assessment of Genome Interpretation, establishes progress and prospects for computational genetic variant interpretation methods. Genome Biology, 25(1):53
4. Roth, S., Ideses, D., Juven-Gershon, T. and Danielli A. (2022) Rapid Biosensing Method for Detecting Protein-DNA Interactions. ACS Sensors, 7(1):60-70
5. Maybury-Lewis, S.Y., Brown, A.K., Yeary, M., Sloutskin, A., Dhakal, S, Juven-Gershon, T. and Webb, A.E. (2021) Changing and stable chromatin accessibility supports transcriptional overhaul during neural stem cell activation and is altered with age. Aging Cell, 20(11):e13499
6. Sloutskin, A., Shir-Shapira, H., Freiman, R. and Juven-Gershon, T. (2021) The core promoter is a regulatory hub for developmental gene expression. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 9:666508
7. Dreos, R.*, Sloutskin, A.*, Malachi, N.*, Ideses, D., Bucher, P.‡ and Juven-Gershon, T.‡ (2021) Computational identification and experimental characterization of preferred downstream positions in human core promoters. PLOS Computational Biology, 17(8):e1009256
*The first three authors contributed equally to this paper
‡ co-corresponding authors
8. Adato, O., Orenstein, Y., Kopolovic, J., Juven-Gershon, T.‡ and Unger, R.‡ (2020) Quantitative analysis of differential expression of HOX genes in multiple cancers. Cancers (Basel), 12(6):1572
‡ co-corresponding authors
9. Levi, T.*, Sloutskin, A.*‡, Kalifa, R., Juven-Gershon, T.‡ and Gerlitz, O.‡ (2020) Efficient in vivo introduction of point mutations using ssODN and a Co-CRISPR approach. Biological Procedures Online, 22:14
*The first two authors contributed equally to this paper
‡ co-corresponding authors
10. Shigaki, D., Adato, O., Adhikari, A.N., Dong, S., Hawkins-Hooker, A., Inoue, F., Juven-Gershon, T., Kenlay, H., Martin, B., Patra, A., Penzar, D.D., Schubach, M., Xiong, C., Yan, Z., Boyle, A.P., Kreimer, A., Kulakovskiy, I.V., Reid, J., Unger, R., Yosef, N., Shendure, J., Ahituv, N., Kircher, M. and Beer, M.A. (2019) Integration of multiple epigenomic marks improves prediction of variant impact in saturation mutagenesis reporter assay. Human Mutation, 40(9): 1280-1291
11. Shir-Shapira, H.*, Sloutskin, A.*, Adato, O., Ovadia-Shochat, A., Ideses, D., Zehavi, Y., Kassavetis, G., Kadonaga, J.T., Unger, R. and Juven-Gershon, T. (2019) Identification of evolutionarily conserved downstream core promoter elements required for the transcriptional regulation of Fushi tarazu target genes. PLoS ONE. 14(4): e0215695
*The first two authors contributed equally to this paper
12. Even D.Y., Kedmi A., Ideses D. and Juven-Gershon T. (2017) Functional screening of core promoter activity. Methods Mol Biol. 1651, 77-91
13. Sameach, H., Narunsky, A., Azoulay-Ginsburg, S., Gevorkyan-Aiapetov, L., Zehavi, Y., Moskovitz, Y., Juven-Gershon, T., Ben-Tal, N. and Ruthstein, S. (2017) Structural and dynamics characterization of the MerR family metalloregulator CueR in its repression and activation states. Structure, 25, 1-9
14. Chen, D., Orenstein, Y., Golodnitsky, R., Pellach, M., Avrahami, D., Wachtel, C., Ovadia-Shochat, A., Shir-Shapira, H., Kedmi, A., Juven-Gershon, T., Shamir, R. and Gerber, D. (2016) SELMAP - SELEX affinity landscape MAPping of transcription factor binding sites using integrated microfluidics. Scientific Reports, 6, 33351
15. Even, D.Y. *, Kedmi, A. *, Basch-Barzilay, S. *, Ideses, D., Tikotzki, R., Shir-Shapira, H., Shefi, O. and Juven-Gershon, T. (2016) Engineered promoters for potent transient overexpression. PLoS ONE, 11(2): e0148918
*The first three authors contributed equally to this paper
16. Sloutskin, A., Danino, Y.M., Orenstein, Y., Zehavi, Y., Doniger, T., Shamir, R. and Juven-Gershon, T. (2015) ElemeNT: A computational tool for detecting core promoter elements. Transcription, 6(3), 41-50
17. Shir-Shapira, H.*, Sharabany,J.*, Filderman, M., Ideses, D., Ovadia-Shochat, A., Mannervik, M. and Juven-Gershon, T. (2015) Structure-function analysis of the Drosophila melanogaster Caudal provides insights into core promoter-preferential activation. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 290(28), 17293-305
*The first two authors contributed equally to this paper
18. Danino,Y.M, Even, D., Ideses, D. and Juven-Gershon,T. (2015) The core promoter: at the heart of gene expression. BBA Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 1849(8), 1116-31
19. Zehavi, Y*., Kedmi, A.*, Ideses, D. and Juven-Gershon, T. (2015) TRF2: TRansForming the view of general transcription factors. Transcription, 6:1, 1-6
*The first two authors contributed equally to this paper
20. Safra, M., Fickentscher, R., Levi-Ferber, M., Danino, Y.M., Haviv-Chesner, A., Hansen, M., Juven-Gershon, T., Weiss, M. and Henis-Korenblit, S. (2014) The FOXO transcription factor DAF-16 bypasses ire-1 requirement to promote endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis. Cell Metabolism, 20, 870-881
21. Kedmi, A.*, Zehavi, Y*., Glick, Y., Orenstein, Y., Ideses, D., Wachtel, C., Doniger, T., Waldman Ben-Asher, H., Munster, N., Thompson, J., Anderson, S., Avrahami, D., Yates, JR 3rd, Shamir, R., Gerber, D. and Juven-Gershon, T. (2014) TRF2 is a preferential core promoter regulator. Genes & Development, 28, 2163-2174
*The first two authors contributed equally to this paper
22. Zehavi, Y., Sloutskin, A., Kuznetsov, O. and Juven-Gershon, T. (2014) The core promoter composition establishes a new dimension in developmental gene networks. Nucleus, 5:4, 298–303
23. Zehavi, Y., Kuznetsov, O., Ovadia-Shochat, A. and Juven-Gershon, T. (2014) Core promoter functions in the regulation of gene expression of Drosophila Dorsal target genes. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 289, 11993-12004
24. Cianfrocco, M.A., Kassavetis, G.A., Grob, P., Fang, J., Juven-Gershon, T., Kadonaga, J.T. and Nogales, E. (2013) Human TFIID binds to core promoter DNA in a reorganized structural state. Cell, 152, 120-131
25. Juven-Gershon, T. and Kadonaga, J.T. (2010) Regulation of gene expression via the core promoter and the basal transcriptional machinery. Developmental Biology, 339, 225-229
- One of the top-five most cited articles published in the journal Developmental Biology during the period 1/1/2009-31/12/2011
26. Juven-Gershon, T., Hsu, J.-Y. and Kadonaga, J.T. (2008) Caudal, a key developmental regulator, is a DPE-specific transcriptional factor. Genes & Development, 22, 2823-2830
27. Hsu, J.-Y, Juven-Gershon, T., Marr, M.T. 2nd, Wright, K.J., Tjian, R. and Kadonaga, J.T. (2008) TBP, Mot1, and NC2 establish a regulatory circuit that controls DPE-dependent versus TATA-dependent transcription. Genes & Development, 22, 2353-2358
28. Juven-Gershon, T., Hsu, J.-Y. Theisen J.W.M. and Kadonaga, J.T. (2008) The RNA polymerase II core promoter – the gateway to transcription. Current Opinion in Cell Biology, 20, 253-259
29. Juven-Gershon, T., Hsu, J.-Y. and Kadonaga, J.T. (2006) Perspectives on the RNA polymerase II core promoter. Biochemical Society Transactions 34, 1051-1054
30. Juven-Gershon, T., Cheng, S. and Kadonaga, J.T. (2006) Rational design of a super core promoter that enhances gene expression. Nature Methods, 3, 917 - 922
- Potential applications of this study were discussed in: Perkel, J.M. (2007) Studies you can use. The Scientist, 21,63
31. Susini, L.*, Passer, B.J.*, Amzallag-Elbaz, N.*, Juven-Gershon, T.*, Prieur, S., Privat, N., Tuynder, M, Gendron M., Israel, A., Amson, R., Oren, M. and Telerman, A. (2001) Siah-1 binds and regulates the function of Numb. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 98, 15067-15072
*The first four authors contributed equally to this paper
32. Unger, T.*, Juven-Gershon, T.*, Moallem, E.*, Berger, M., Vogt-Sionov, R., Lozano, G., Oren, M. and Haupt, Y. (1999) Critical role for Ser20 of human p53 in the negative regulation of p53 by Mdm2. EMBO J., 18, 1805-1814
*The first three authors contributed equally to this paper
33. Elkeles, A., Juven-Gershon, T., Israeli, D., Wilder, S., Zalcenstein, A. and Oren, M. (1999) The c-fos proto-oncogene is a target for transactivation by the p53 tumor suppressor. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 19, 2594-2600
34. Juven-Gershon, T. and Oren, M. (1999) Mdm2: the ups and the downs. Molecular Medicine, 5, 71-83
35. Juven-Gershon, T., Shifman, O., Unger, T., Elkeles, A., Haupt, Y. and Oren, M. (1998) The Mdm2 oncoprotein interacts with the cell fate regulator Numb. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 18, 3974-3982
36. Barak, Y., Gottlieb, E., Juven-Gershon, T. and Oren, M. (1994) Regulation of mdm2 expression by p53: alternative promoters produce transcripts with nonidentical translation potential. Genes & Development, 8, 1739-1749
37. Barak, Y., Lupo, A., Zauberman, A., Juven, T., Aloni-Grinstein, R., Gottlieb, E., Rotter, V. and Oren, M. (1994) Targets for transcriptional activation by wild-type p53: endogenous retroviral LTR, immunoglobulin-like promoter, and an internal promoter of the mdm2 gene. Cold Spring Harb Symp. Quant. Biol., 59, 225-235
38. Soussan, L., Tchernakov, K., Bachar-Lavi, O., Juven, T., Wertman, E. and Michaelson, D.M. (1994) Antibodies to different isoforms of the heavy neurofilament protein (NF- H) in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. Molecular Neurobiology, 9, 83-91
39. Juven, T., Barak, Y., Zauberman, A., George, D.L. and Oren, M. (1993) Wild type p53 can mediate sequence-specific transactivation of an internal promoter within the mdm2 gene. Oncogene, 8, 3411-3416
40. Barak, Y., Juven, T., Haffner, R. and Oren, M. (1993) mdm2 expression is induced by wild type p53 activity. EMBO J., 12, 461-468
Patents
1. Optimized core promoters and uses thereof. Kadonaga and Gershon. Patent no. US 7,968,698 B2: 2006.
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Last Updated Date : 02/07/2024
