Rachel Gerstein, Ph.D.

Academic Role: Associate Professor

Faculty Appointment(s) In:
   Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

Other Affiliation(s):
   Center for AIDS Research
   Interdisciplinary Graduate Program
   Program in Immunology and Virology

Developmental regulation of V(D)J recombination and B cell development.

Mammals start generating B lymphocytes during fetal development and continue to do so throughout life. My lab is interested in what controls the initiation of antibody gene rearrangement during B cell development. In order to pin-point when progenitors have acquired the ability to rearrange antibody genes, we are using a novel retroviral substrate assay for V(D)J recombination, utilizing very bright mutants of Green fluorescent protein (GFP). In addition, the generation of two GFP mutants with distinct excitation optima allows for detection of two distinct GFP genes within single cells.¹ V(D)J recombination and the activity of genes of interest (using GFP as a reporter of gene expression) can be detected as intracellular fluorescence and are measured simultaneously in the same cell population, at the single cell level. We are using this dual reporter system to ask what are the molecules and mechanisms controlling the developmental activation of V(D)J recombination. In addition, my lab studies the process of developmental committment to the B cell lineages, using 7-color flow cytometry on a state-of-the-art 3 laser FACS.

¹ Anderson, M.T., etal. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 93:8508-8511.

Representative Publications

Gerstein, R. M. (1996). The Generation of Junctional Diversity by V(D)J Recombination. In The Handbook of Experimental Immunology. Third Edition. Weir, Herzenberg, Blackwell and Herzenberg, Eds.

Khan, W. N., F. W. Alt, R. M. Gerstein, B. A. Malynn, I. Larsson, G. Rathbun, L. Davidson, S. Müller, A. B. Kantor, L.A. Herzenberg, F. S. Rosen, and P. Sideras (1995). Defective B cell development and function in Btk deficient mice. Immunity 3(3): 283-300.

Lieber, M. R., C.-P. Chang, M. Gallo, G. Gauss, R. Gerstein, and A. Islas (1994). The mechanism of V(D)J recombination: site-specificity, reaction fidelity and immunologic diversity. Seminars in Immunology 6:143-153.

Gerstein, R. M. and M. R. Lieber (1993). Coding exon sequence can markedly affect the initiation of V(D)J recombination. Genes and Dev 7:1459-1469.

Gerstein, R. M. and M. R. Lieber (1993). The extent to which homology can constrain coding exon diversity in V(D)J recombination. Nature 363: 625-627.

Academic Background

PhD, Brandeis University, 1991

Office: S5-214
Phone: 508-856-1044
E-mail: Rachel.Gerstein@umassmed.edu

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