Nathan A. Ellis, PhD

Associate Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Chair, Genetics GIDP
Co-Program Leader, Cancer Biology Research Program
Associate Professor, Cancer Biology GIDP
Research Interests: 

Genomic Instability and Cancer Susceptibility

Development of invasive carcinoma is widely believed to rely on a nested series of somatic mutations that results in activation of oncogenes and deactivation of tumor suppressors. Although the accumulation of somatic mutations plays a central role, the tissue in which these mutations arise exerts control over the fate of these mutated cells. The steady increase of the incidence of cancers of the digestive tract raises pressing questions about tissue control and how environmental influences modulate and destabilize it. The Ellis laboratory currently focuses on epigenetic mechanisms involved in early-onset colorectal cancer.

Molecular Medicine Grad Program: 
Yes

Bibliography

2021

Batai, K., M. J. Trejo, Y. Chen, L. N. Kohler, P. Lance, N. A. Ellis, M. C. Cornelis, H-H. Sherry Chow, C-H. Hsu, and E. T. Jacobs, "Genome-Wide Association Study of Response to Selenium Supplementation and Circulating Selenium Concentrations in Adults of European Descent.", J Nutr, vol. 151, issue 2, pp. 293-302, 2021 02 01. PMCID: PMC7849979  PMID: 33382417

2020

Augustus, G. J., R. M. Xicola, X. Llor, and N. A. Ellis, "Decreased copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity in African American colorectal cancers.", Genes Chromosomes Cancer, vol. 59, issue 8, pp. 454-464, 2020 08. PMCID: PMC8045478  PMID: 32293075

2019

Zhou, J., T. G. Jenkins, A. M. Jung, K. Sook Jeong, J. Zhai, E. T. Jacobs, S. C. Griffin, D. Dearmon-Moore, S. R. Littau, W. F. Peate, et al., "DNA methylation among firefighters.", PLoS One, vol. 14, issue 3, pp. e0214282, 2019 03 26. PMCID: PMC6435149  PMID: 30913233
Xicola, R. M., J. R. Clark, T. Carroll, J. Alvikas, P. Marwaha, M. R. Regan, F. Lopez-Giraldez, J. Choi, R. Emmadi, V. Alagiozian-Angelova, et al., "Implication of DNA repair genes in Lynch-like syndrome.", Fam Cancer, vol. 18, issue 3, pp. 331-342, 2019 07 01. PMCID: PMC6561810  PMID: 30989425
A Taylor, M. R., C. Rothblum-Oviatt, N. A. Ellis, I. D. Hickson, S. Meyer, T. O. Crawford, A. Smogorzewska, B. Pietrucha, C. Weemaes, and G. S. Stewart, "Chromosome instability syndromes.", Nat Rev Dis Primers, vol. 5, issue 1, pp. 64, 2019 09 19. PMID: 31537806
Pond, K. W., and N. A. Ellis, "Quantification of Double-Strand Breaks in Mammalian Cells Using Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis.", Methods Mol Biol, vol. 1999, pp. 75-85, 2019 05 25. PMID: 31127570
Pond, K. W., C. de Renty, M. K. Yagle, and N. A. Ellis, "Rescue of collapsed replication forks is dependent on NSMCE2 to prevent mitotic DNA damage.", PLoS Genet, vol. 15, issue 2, pp. e1007942, 2019 02 01. PMCID: PMC6383951  PMID: 30735491
Jacobs, E. Theresa, P. Lance, L. J. Mandarino, N. A. Ellis, H-H. Sherry Chow, J. Foote, J. A. Martinez, C-H. Paul Hsu, K. Batai, K. Saboda, et al., "Selenium supplementation and insulin resistance in a randomized, clinical trial.", BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care, vol. 7, issue 1, pp. e000613, 2019 02 07. PMCID: PMC6398811  PMID: 30899530

2018

Kohler, L. N., J. Foote, C. P. Kelley, A. Florea, C. Shelly, H-H. Sherry Chow, P. Hsu, K. Batai, N. Ellis, K. Saboda, et al., "Selenium and Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic Review.", Nutrients, vol. 10, issue 12, 2018 Dec 05. PMID: 30563119
Augustus, G. Julian, D. J. Roe, E. T. Jacobs, P. Lance, and N. A. Ellis, "Is increased colorectal screening effective in preventing distant disease?", PLoS One, vol. 13, issue 7, pp. e0200462, 2018. PMCID: PMC6042755  PMID: 30001362
Batai, K., A. Bergersen, E. Price, K. Hynes, N. A. Ellis, and B. R. Lee, "Clinical and Molecular Characteristics and Burden of Kidney Cancer Among Hispanics and Native Americans: Steps Toward Precision Medicine.", Clin Genitourin Cancer, vol. 16, issue 3, pp. e535-e541, 2018 06. PMID: 29449090
Lynn, H., X. Sun, D. Ayshiev, J. H. Siegler, A. N. Rizzo, J. H. Karnes, M. Gonzales Garay, T. Wang, N. Casanova, S. M. Camp, et al., "Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the MYLKP1 pseudogene are associated with increased colon cancer risk in African Americans.", PLoS One, vol. 13, issue 8, pp. e0200916, 2018. PMCID: PMC6116948  PMID: 30161129
Cunniff, C., A. Reza Djavid, S. Carrubba, B. Cohen, N. A. Ellis, C. Fein Levy, S. Jeong, H. M. Lederman, M. Vogiatzi, M. F. Walsh, et al., "Health supervision for people with Bloom syndrome.", Am J Med Genet A, vol. 176, issue 9, pp. 1872-1881, 2018 Sep. PMID: 30055079
Augustus, G. J., and N. A. Ellis, "Colorectal Cancer Disparity in African Americans: Risk Factors and Carcinogenic Mechanisms.", Am J Pathol, vol. 188, issue 2, pp. 291-303, 2018 02. PMCID: PMC5785537  PMID: 29128568
Xicola, R. M., Z. Manojlovic, G. J. Augustus, S. S. Kupfer, R. Emmadi, V. Alagiozian-Angelova, T. Triche, B. Salhia, J. Carpten, X. Llor, et al., "Lack of APC somatic mutation is associated with early-onset colorectal cancer in African Americans.", Carcinogenesis, vol. 39, issue 11, pp. 1331-1341, 2018 Dec 13. PMCID: PMC6292413  PMID: 30239619

2017

Yazici, C., P. G. Wolf, H. Kim, T-W. L. Cross, K. Vermillion, T. Carroll, G. J. Augustus, E. Mutlu, L. Tussing-Humphreys, C. Braunschweig, et al., "Race-dependent association of sulfidogenic bacteria with colorectal cancer.", Gut, vol. 66, issue 11, pp. 1983-1994, 2017 11. PMCID: PMC5575988  PMID: 28153960
de Renty, C., and N. A. Ellis, "Bloom's syndrome: Why not premature aging?: A comparison of the BLM and WRN helicases.", Ageing Res Rev, vol. 33, pp. 36-51, 2017 Jan. PMCID: PMC5124422  PMID: 27238185
Cunniff, C., J. A. Bassetti, and N. A. Ellis, "Bloom's Syndrome: Clinical Spectrum, Molecular Pathogenesis, and Cancer Predisposition.", Mol Syndromol, vol. 8, issue 1, pp. 4-23, 2017 Jan. PMCID: PMC5260600  PMID: 28232778

2016

Grimm, W. A., J. S. Messer, S. F. Murphy, T. Nero, J. P. Lodolce, C. R. Weber, M. F. Logsdon, S. Bartulis, B. E. Sylvester, A. Springer, et al., "The Thr300Ala variant in ATG16L1 is associated with improved survival in human colorectal cancer and enhanced production of type I interferon.", Gut, vol. 65, issue 3, pp. 456-64, 2016 Mar. PMCID: PMC4789828  PMID: 25645662
Markowitz, S. D., N. L. Nock, S. L. Schmit, Z. K. Stadler, V. Joseph, L. Zhang, J. E. Willis, P. Scacheri, M. Veigl, M. D. Adams, et al., "A Germline Variant on Chromosome 4q31.1 Associates with Susceptibility to Developing Colon Cancer Metastasis.", PLoS One, vol. 11, issue 1, pp. e0146435, 2016. PMCID: PMC4709047  PMID: 26751797
Xicola, R. M., S. Bontu, B. J. Doyle, J. Rawson, P. Garre, E. Lee, M. de la Hoya, X. Bessa, J. Clofent, L. Bujanda, et al., "Association of a let-7 miRNA binding region of TGFBR1 with hereditary mismatch repair proficient colorectal cancer (MSS HNPCC).", Carcinogenesis, vol. 37, issue 8, pp. 751-8, 2016 08. PMCID: PMC4967215  PMID: 27234654

2015

Hulur, I., E. R. Gamazon, A. D. Skol, R. M. Xicola, X. Llor, K. Onel, N. A. Ellis, and S. S. Kupfer, "Enrichment of inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer risk variants in colon expression quantitative trait loci.", BMC Genomics, vol. 16, pp. 138, 2015. PMCID: PMC4351699  PMID: 25766683

2014

Xicola, R. M., M. Gagnon, J. R. Clark, T. Carroll, W. Gao, C. Fernandez, D. Mijic, J. B. Rawson, A. Janoski, C. K. Pusatcioglu, et al., "Excess of proximal microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer in African Americans from a multiethnic study.", Clin Cancer Res, vol. 20, issue 18, pp. 4962-70, 2014 Sep 15. PMCID: PMC4167473  PMID: 25013126
Kupfer, S. S., A. D. Skol, E. Hong, A. Ludvik, R. A. Kittles, T. O. Keku, R. S. Sandler, and N. A. Ellis, "Shared and independent colorectal cancer risk alleles in TGFβ-related genes in African and European Americans.", Carcinogenesis, vol. 35, issue 9, pp. 2025-30, 2014 Sep. PMCID: PMC4146413  PMID: 24753543
Pibiri, F., R. A. Kittles, R. S. Sandler, T. O. Keku, S. S. Kupfer, R. M. Xicola, X. Llor, and N. A. Ellis, "Genetic variation in vitamin D-related genes and risk of colorectal cancer in African Americans.", Cancer Causes Control, vol. 25, issue 5, pp. 561-70, 2014 May. PMCID: PMC3978221  PMID: 24562971

2013

Ouyang, K. J., M. K. Yagle, M. J. Matunis, and N. A. Ellis, "BLM SUMOylation regulates ssDNA accumulation at stalled replication forks.", Front Genet, vol. 4, pp. 167, 2013. PMCID: PMC3761158  PMID: 24027577