Dr. Carla Cohen, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow




Department:  Terry Fox Laboratory

Contact Information:

Tel:  604-675-8000 Ext. 7770
Fax:  604-877-0712
Email:  ccohen@bccrc.ca

Research Interest:

ERVs as alternative promoters in human placenta

The genomic structure of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) consists of protein coding genes flanked by Long Terminal Repeats (LTRs).  LTRs include promoter elements that initiate transcription of ERV genes, and in some cases LTRs have also been shown to act as alternative promoters for nearby cellular genes.  According to the LTR sequence the tissue specificity of expression may be affected, and there are several cases in the literature in which the presence of the LTR confers specific expression in placenta.  I am currently investigating the regulatory mechanisms that underlie this specificity through identification of common transcription factor binding sites.  Determining whether these regulatory sites were present in the original ERV insertion or have subsequently been acquired by mutation will help us understand the evolutionary basis of this phenomenon. 

Thanks to Dr Wendy Robinson at the Child & Family Research Institute, Vancouver, BC for providing placental samples. Bioinformatics analysis performed by David Arenillas and Dr Wyeth Wasserman at the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC.

 Epigenetic regulation of cytokine genes in human Th17 cells

The traditional view of T cell differentiation into Th1 and Th2 cells has been upset by the discovery of regulatory T cells (Treg), and more recently of Th17 cells.  Th17 cells are required for immunity against a number of extracellular bacterial pathogens but are also involved in autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis.  They have been shown to have a distinct cytokine profile including IL-17, IL-22, and IL-21, and their differentiation involves activation of the transcription factor RORγt through the STAT3 pathway.  In the Th1/Th2 system it has been shown that epigenetic mechanisms govern the regulation of key cytokine genes such as IFNG and IL4.  I aim to continue preliminary findings in murine models that suggest this may be the case in Th17 cells, and use these tools to understand the developmental plasticity between human Th1, Th17 and Treg. 

 This project is in collaboration with Sarah Crome and Megan Levings at the Jack Bell Research Centre, Vancouver, BC. 

Degrees:

 MA (Cantab), Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge (Selwyn College), 2002

 DPhil, Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, 2006

 Hobbies:

 I’m a member of the Vancouver Cantata Singers and I enjoy skiing.