Karen Cerosaletti, PhD
Title:
Staff Scientist
Email Address:
Phone Number:
206-341-1942
Background
Dr. Cerosaletti received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. She worked in infectious disease research before obtaining her PhD in Immunology from the University of Rochester in 1990. After post-doctoral work in somatic cell genetics in the Molecular Medicine Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, she joined Benaroya Research Institute in 1995. Since 2000, she has been a staff scientist in the Molecular Genetics Program at BRI.
Areas of Research
Dr. Cerosaletti’s research is focused on the molecular genetics of inherited disorders, specifically radiosensitivity and autoimmune disorders. Genetic analyses are coupled with cellular studies to establish functional links between sequence variants in specific genes and alterations in the function of these genes in vivo. Current work is focused on detecting the function of the radiosensitivity gene, Nbs1, in the DNA repair response in vivo. We are also investigating a link between sequence variants in the PTPN2 gene, which has been implicated in several autoimmune disorders, and altered PTPN2 function in immune cells from autoimmune patients.
Selected Publications
Varon R, Vissinga C, Platzer M, Cerosaletti KM, Chrzanowska KH, Saar K, Beckmann G, Seemanová E, Cooper PR, Nowak NJ, Stumm M, Weemaes CMR, Gatti RA, Wilson RK, Digweed M, Rosenthal A, Sperling K, Concannon P, Reis A. Nibrin, a novel DNA double-strand break repair protein, is mutated in Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome. Cell 1998;93:467-476.
Desai-Mehta A, Cerosaletti KM, Concannon P. Distinct functional domains of nibrin mediate Mre11 binding, focus formation, and nuclear localization. Mol Cell Biol 2000;121:2184-2191.
O’Driscoll M, Cerosaletti KM, Girard PM, Dai Y, Stumm M, Kysella B, Hirsch B, Gennery A, Palmer SE, Seidel J, Gatti RA, Varon R, Oettinger M, Neitzel KH, Jeggo PA, Concannon P. DNA ligase IV syndrome:a new inherited disorder of developmental delay and immunodeficiency. Mol Cell 2001;8:1175-1185.
Cerosaletti KM, Concannon P. Nibrin forkhead-associated domain and breast cancer C-terminal domain are both required for nuclear focus formation and phosphorylation. J Biol Chem 2003;278:21944-21951.
Cerosaletti K, Concannon P. Independent roles for nibrin and Mre11/Rad50 in the activation and function of Atm. J Biol Chem 2004;279:38813-38819.
Cerosaletti K, Wright J, Concannon P. Active role for nibrin in the kinetics of Atm activation. Mol Cell Biol 2006;26:1691-1699.