David Parker
Associate Teaching Professor of Biology and Lab Coordinator
Department: Biology
Email: dparker10@elon.edu
Phone number: (336) 278-5588
News & Notes
Education
Ph.D., Dept. of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2006)
M.Sc., Dept. of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2002)
B.Sc. (Honors), Biochemistry and Applied Molecular Biology, The University of Manchester, UK (1994)
Employment History
Postdoctoral Associate, Center For Human Disease Modeling, Duke University (2009-2012)
Research summary:The ability to sequence the entire DNA blueprint of an individual (whole genome sequencing) has recently become affordable. The impact of this technology poses profound ethical and intellectual challenges on both a personal and societal level. In my postdoc at Duke I gained insight into this new field and researched the role of total mutational load in human genetic disease. I used human disease modeling in zebra fish to study the potential impact of small genetic changes on complex human disease states.
Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Cell Biology, The University of Michigan (2006-2009)
Research summary:Throughout the journey from a single cell to a mature organism, cells communicate using evolutionary ancient signal transduction pathways. Relatively few signaling pathways acting in concert generate the incredibly complex body plans of all multicellular organisms. How this is achieved is not well understood. As a postdoc at Michigan I made transgenic Drosophila lines to study how genes can respond differently to the same signaling pathway at different points of development.
Doctoral Student, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, The University of Michigan (1999-2006)
Research summary:Fruit flies are one of the longest studied model organisms in science, and a myriad of elegant genetic techniques exist to investigate them. As a graduate student I identified and genetically characterized a gene called pygopus (pygo). A normal version of the pygo gene is required for the Wnt signaling pathway to function correctly. This cell-communication pathway is highly conserved in humans and is important for correct development and is implicated in many forms of cancer. My dissertation is entitled: “Genetic and Molecular Analysis of Wingless/Wnt Signal Transduction in the Nucleus”.
Research Assistant, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Michigan (1997-1999)
Research summary:Charles Darwin called the sudden appearance of flowering plants in the fossil record an “abominable mystery”. As a research assistant in Michigan I cloned and sequenced the leafy gene from multiple plant species. Comparison of leafy genes from different species at the amino acid level suggests that flowers arose by male plants gaining female reproductive structures, termed the mostly male theory of flower evolutionary origins.
Research Assistant, The Medical Research Council, Cambridge, UK (1994-1997)
Research summary:The human complement system forms a part of the innate immune response. In Cambridge I studied complement factor H, a protein that prevents host tissues being subject to attack by the complement system.
Courses Taught
Personalized Medicine (BIO1050)
The Global Experience (COR1110)
Introductory Cell Biology (BIO1112)
Introductory Cell Biology Lab (BIO1113)
Principles Of Genetics (BIO2212)
Principles Of Genetics Lab (BIO2213)
Sophmore Seminar (BIO2970)
Human Physiology (BIO2412)
Human Physiology Lab (BIO2413)
Topics in Advanced Genetics (BIO4212)
Topics in Advanced Genetics Lab (BIOL4212)
Publications
Lorberbaum DS, Ramos AI, Peterson KA, Carpenter BS, Parker DS, De S, Hillers LE, Blake VM, Nishi Y, McFarlane MR, Chiang AC, Kassis JA, Allen BL, McMahon AP, Barolo S (2016) An ancient yet flexible cis-regulatory architecture allows localized Hedgehog tuning by patched/Ptch1. eLife 2016; 5:e13550 Article link.
Gurdziel K, Lorberbaum DS, Udager AM, Song JY, Richards N, Parker DS, Johnson LA, Allen BL, Barolo S, Gumucio DL (2015) Identification and Validation of Novel Hedgehog-Responsive Enhancers Predicted by Computational Analysis of Ci/Gli Binding Site Density. PLoS One 10(12): e0145225 Article link.
Liu YP, Tsai I, Morleo M, Oh EC, Leitch CC, Massa F, Lee B, Parker DS, Finley D, Zaghloul NA, Franco B and Katsanis N (2014) Ciliopathy proteins regulate paracrine signaling by modulating proteasomal degradation of mediators. J Clin Invest 124: 2059-70 Article link.
White MA, Parker DS, Barolo S, Cohen BA (2012) A model of spatially restricted transcription in opposing gradients of activators and repressors. Mol Syst Biol 8: 614 Article link.
Riazuddin SA, Parker DS, McGlumphy EJ, Oh EC, Iliff BW, Gilbert N, Schmedt T, Jurkunas U, Muller U, Schleif R, Katsanis N, Gottsch JD (2012) Mutations in LOXHD1, a recessive deafness locus, cause dominant late-onset Fuchs corneal dystrophy. Am J Hum Genet 90: 533-9 Article link.
Parker DS, Katsanis N (2011) Understanding Cargo Specificity in Intraflegellar Transport. EMBO 30:2158-9 Article link.
Parker DS, White MA, Ramos AI, Cohen BA, Barolo S (2011) The cis-regulatory logic of Hedgehog gradientresponses: key roles for gli binding affinity, competition, and cooperativity. Science Signaling 4: ra38 Article link.
Parker DS and Katsanis N (2011) Ciliary Syndromes and Obesity. Book chapter. Lustig, RH (Ed.) Obesity Before Birth Maternal and Prenatal Influences on the Offspring. Springer: New York
Parker DS, Ni YY, Chang JL, Li J and Cadigan KM (2008) Wingless Signaling Induces Widespread Chromatin Remodeling of Target Gene Loci. Molecular and Cellular Biology 28: 1815-28 Article link.
Grieder NC, Caussinus E, Parker DS, Cadigan K, Affolter M, Luschnig S (2008) gammaCOP is required for apical protein secretion and epithelial morphogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS One 3: e3241 Article link.
Li J, Sutter C, Parker DS, Blauwkamp T, Fang M and Cadigan KM (2007) CBP/p300 are bimodal regulators of Wnt signaling. EMBO J 26: 2284-94 Article link.
Parker DS, Blauwkamp T and Cadigan KM. (criptional regulation. Book chapter. Advances in Developmental Biology 17: 1-60
Parker DS, Jemison J, Cadigan KM. (2002) Pygopus, a nuclear PHD-finger protein required for Wingless signaling in Drosophila. Development 129: 2565-76 Article link.
Parker DS and Frohlich MW (2001) Running gels backwards to select DNA molecules larger than a minimum size. Biotechniques 30: 264-266 Article link.
Parker DS and Frohlich MW (2000) The mostly male theory of flower evolutionary origins: from genes to fossils. Systematic Botany 25: 155-170 Article link.
