My laboratory is investigating the biology of the human LINE-1
retrotransposable element. These DNA elements are members of a
family of DNA elements that have been present in eukaryotic genomes
for over 600 million years. They are capable of making new copies of
themselves and inserting into new genomic loci. By amplifying
themselves in this way, LINE-1 elements have come to make up about
15% of human DNA.
We have developed a new assay that is designed to compare the genomic
DNA from different individuals or from different tissues from the
same individuals and to identify loci that have LINE-1 insertions in
some but not all of the samples. We are using this technique to: 1.
study the structure of the human genome, 2. answer questions about
human history and evolution, and 3. to investigate the role of human
LINE-1 elements in the development of cancer.
OFFICE INFORMATION
Division of Molecular Medicine
Ph9-405
Ph. 212-305-2174
Fax: 212-342-5316
Email: gs314@columbia.edu
EDUCATION
1976
B.A., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY .
1983
M.D., Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
POSITIONS & APPOINTMENTS
1998-present
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Molecular Medicine,
Columbia University, New York City,
1997-1998
Medical Director, Program in Cancer Genetics, Center for Medical Genetics
1993- 1998
Senior Staff Fellow, - FDA, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research,
Division of Cellular and Gene Therapies
1990-1992
Fellow in Clinical Medical Genetics - National Institutes of Health
1990-1992
Senior Staff Fellow - National Cancer Institute, NIH, Laboratory of Dr.
Maxine Singer
1987-1990
Medical Staff Fellow - National Cancer Institute, NIH, Lab of Dr. Maxine Singer
1986-1987
PRAT Fellow - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases, NIH
1983-1986
Intern and Resident in Internal Medicine - Albert Einstein Medical
Center, Bronx, NY
HONORS
1996-1998
Member, National Action Plan On Breast Cancer, Hereditary Susceptibility
Working Group
1999
Project Award, Office of Clinical Trials, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
1999
Pilot Project Award, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia-Presbyterian
Medical Center
1998
Visiting Professor, Scranton-Temple Residency Program
1997
NIH Directors Award
1994-1996
Directors Targeted Research Award, FDA, Center for Biologics Evaluation and
Research
1995
ASBMB High School Science Teacher Fellowship Sponsor
1990
U.S. Patent Number 4,901,381. Issued Feb. 20
1986-1988
Pharmacology Research Associate Fellow, NIH
1976-1983
NIH Medical Scientist Training Program Fellow
1976
B.A. with Distinction in All Subjects, Cornell University
1975
Alvan T. - Viola D. Fuller American Cancer Society Junior Research Fellowship
1973-1977
N.Y.S. Cornell Regents Scholarship Award
1972
Winner, National Westinghouse Science Talent Search
MEMBERSHIPS
American College of Medical Genetics
American Society of Human Genetics
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Elected Member, 1993)
American Society for Microbiology
Human Genome Organization
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Swergold, G.D. Identification, Characterization, and Cell
Specificity of a Human LINE-1 Promoter. Mol. Cell. Biol., 10:
6718-6729. 1990.
Goldfarb, L.G., Brown, P., McCombie, W.R., Goldgaber, D.,
Swergold, G.D., Wills, P.R., Cerenakova, L., Baron, H., Gibbs Jr.,
C.J., and D.C. Gajdusek. Transmissible Familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease Associated With Five, Seven, and Eight Extra Octapeptide
Coding Repeats in the PRNP Gene. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., USA,
88:10926-10930. 1991.
Holmes, S., M.F. Singer, and G.D. Swergold. Studies on p40, the
Leucine Zipper containing Protein Encoded by the First Open Reading
Frame of an Active Human Transposable Element.. J. Biol. Chem.. 267:
19765-19768. 1992.
Goldfarb, Lev, et. al.. Fatal Familial Insomnia and Familial
Creutzfeldt -Jakob disease: disease phenotype determined by a DNA
polymorphism. Science 258: 806-808. 1992.
Becker, K., G.D. Swergold, K. Ozato, and R.E. Thayer. Binding of
the ubiquitous nuclear transcription factor YY1 to a cis regulatory
sequence in the human LINE-1 transposable element. Human Molecular
Genetics. 2: 1697-1702. 1993
Singer, M.F., V. Krek, J.P. McMillan, G.D. Swergold, and R.E.
Thayer. (1993) LINE-1: a human transposable element. Gene 135:
183-188. 1993
Rothenberg, K., B. Fuller, M. Rothstein, T. Duster, M.J. Ellis
Kahn, R. Cunningham, K. Hudson, M.-C. King, P. Murphy, G. Swergold,
and F. Collins. Genetic Information and the Workplace: Legislative
Approaches and Policy Challenges. Science 275:1755-1757, 1997.
Sassaman, D.M., B.A. Dombroski, J.V. Moran, M.L. Kimberland, T.P.
Naas, R.J. DeBerardinis, G.D. Swergold, and H.H. Kazazian Jr.,
Characterization of five novel active L1 elements allows an estimate
of the number of active L1 elements in the human genome. Nature
Genetics 16:37-43, 1997.
Deininger, P. L., S.T. Sherry, G. Risch, C. Donaldson, M.B.
Robichaux, H. Soodyall, T. Jenkins, F. Sheen, G. Swergold, M.
Stoneking and M.A. Batzer (In Press) Interspersed repeat insertion
polymorphisms for studies of human molecular anthropology. In
"Genomic Diversity: Applications in Human Population Genetics", S.
S. Papiha, R. Deka and R. Chakraborty (Eds.), Plenum Press, New York,
NY.
Fuller, B. P., M. J. Ellis Kahn, P.A. Barr, L. Biesecker, E.
Crowley, J. Garber, M. K. Mansoura, P. Murphy, J. Phillips, K.
Rothenberg, M. Rothstein, J. Stopfer, G. Swergold, B. Weber, F. S.
Collins, and K. L. Hudson. Privacy in Genetics Research. Science,
285:1359-1361, 1999.
