Our Research
Karen Cerosaletti, PhD
Title:
Research Assistant Member
Email Address:
Phone Number:
206-287-5623
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 2010, she has been a Research Assistant Member in the Translational Research Program at BRI.
Areas of Research
Dr. Cerosaletti’s research is focused on the molecular genetics of autoimmune disorders. She directs the Genotyping Core Laboratory at BRI, which tests repository samples for specific genetic variants that have been associated with susceptibility to autoimmunity. Genetic analyses are coupled with cellular studies to establish functional links between sequence variants in specific genes and alterations in the expression and function of these genes in the immune system. Current work is focused on the impact of genetic variants in the PTPN2, IL2RA, BANK1, BLK, TYK2, STAT3, JAK2, IL6R, IFIH1, and SH2B3 genes in several autoimmune disorders. The lab is also analyzing the T cell receptor repertoire in peripheral T cells from healthy controls and patients with type 1 diabetes using next generation sequencing to identify T cell receptor ‘signatures’ that may be useful biomarkers for disease initiation and progression.
Translational Research Program
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 CM, 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 May 1;93(3):467-76.
Cerosaletti KM, Lange E, Stringham HM, Weemaes CM, Smeets D, Sölder B, Belohradsky BH, Taylor AM, Karnes P, Elliott A, Komatsu K, Gatti RA, Boehnke M, Concannon P. Fine localization of the Nijmegen breakage syndrome gene to 8q21:evidence for a common founder haplotype. Am J Hum Genet. 1998 Jul;63(1):125-34.
Gatei M, Young D, Cerosaletti KM, Desai-Mehta A, Spring K, Kozlov S, Lavin MF, Gatti RA, Concannon P, Khanna K.ATM-dependent phosphorylation of nibrin in response to radiation exposure. Nat Genet. 2000 May;25(1):115-9.
O'Driscoll M, Cerosaletti KM, Girard PM, Dai Y, Stumm M, Kysela B, Hirsch B, Gennery A, Palmer SE, Seidel J, Gatti RA, Varon R, Oettinger MA, Neitzel H, Jeggo PA, Concannon P. DNA ligase IV mutations identified in patients exhibiting developmental delay and immunodeficiency. Mol Cell. 2001 Dec;8(6):1175-85.
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 Jun 13;278(24):21944-51.
Cerosaletti K, Concannon P.Independent roles for nibrin and Mre11-Rad50 in the activation and function of Atm.J Biol Chem. 2004 Sep 10;279(37):38813-9.
Vissinga CS, Yeo TC, Warren S, Brawley JV, Phillips J, Cerosaletti K, Concannon P.Nuclear export of NBN is required for normal cellular responses to radiation.Mol Cell Biol. 2009 Feb;29(4):1000-6.
Long SA, Cerosaletti K, Bollyky PL, Tatum M, Shilling H, Zhang S, Zhang ZY, Pihoker C, Sanda S, Greenbaum C, Buckner JH. Defects in IL-2R signaling contribute to diminished maintenance of FOXP3 expression in CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T-cells of type 1 diabetic subject. Diabetes. 2010 Feb;59(2):407-15.
Long SA, Cerosaletti K, Wan JY, Ho JC, Tatum M, Wei S, Shilling HG, Buckner JH. An autoimmune-associated variant in PTPN2 reveals an impairment of IL-2R signaling in CD4(+) T cells.Genes Immun. 2011 Mar;12(2):116-25.
Robins H, Desmarais C, Matthis J, Livingston R, Andriesen J, Reijonen H, Carlson C, Nepom G, Yee C, Cerosaletti K. Ultra-sensitive detection of rare T cell clones. J Immunol Methods. 2011 Sep;375(1-2):14-19.
Wen J, Cerosaletti K, Schultz KJ, Wright JA, Concannon P. NBN phosphorylation regulates the accumulation of MRN and ATM at sites of DNA double-strand breaks. Oncogene. 2012 Nov 12.[Epub ahead of print]
Schneider A, Long SA, Cerosaletti K, Ni CT, Samuels P, Kita M, Buckner JH. In active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, effector T cell resistance involves IL-6 mediated signaling. Sci Transl Med. 2013 Jan 30;5(170):170ra15.